The Nation Newspaper

Tag: FIFA

  • FIFA clear David Abwo for Turkish club

    FIFA clear David Abwo for Turkish club

    Ex-Nigeria U20 star Solomon David Abwo has finally been cleared by FIFA to feature for Turkish club Giresundspor after his previous Polish club held back his clearance.

    The Jos-born star, who is making a return to Turkey when he signed for the second division team this summer, told MTNFootball.com that the problem of securing ITC is over after FIFA issued his new team clearance.

    “I am so happy now and relieved after FIFA sent in my clearance to play for Giresundspor,” Abwo informed.

    “Zaglebie Lubin refused to issue my clearance even after a series of attempts to make them do so. My club here in Turkey then wrote FIFA and my clearance was issued to Giresundspor on Monday.

    “I served Zaglebie Lubin with everything and my contract was to have expired on 30th June, 2014, but they terminated it on 10th June for no just cause. They even owed me a month’s pay yet they don’t want to issue me with a clearance.

    “I thank the coach I worked with last at the club, Orest Lenczyk, he is like father to me, I can’t forget him. That’s over now as I am looking forward to a great season here in Turkey.”

    Abwo is expected to be in action as the Turkish season opens this Saturday, when Giresundspor take on Samsunspor.

  • EAGLES’ 23-MAN SQUAD: NFF picks Echiejile, Obasi, Aluko

    EAGLES’ 23-MAN SQUAD: NFF picks Echiejile, Obasi, Aluko

    • Igiebor, Enyeama, Mikel, 17 others too
    • Moses, Babatunde dropped

    Elderson Echiejile and Chinedu Obasi have been called up to the 23-man roster of the national team for next month’s 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Congo and South Africa.

    AS Monaco defender Echiejile returns to the setup of the African champions for the first time since he missed the 2014 FIFA World Cup due to injury.

    Obasi and Nosa Igiebor also make a return to the Super Eagles after missing out on the Mundial.

    Lille OSC goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama is also included the 23-man team and will captain the Super Eagles in the absence of Joseph Yobo.

    The list released by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on Tuesday also included defenders Kenneth Omeruo and Efe Ambrose, midfielders Ogenyi Onazi and John Obi Mikel and forwards Ahmed Musa and Emmanuel Emenike.

    Onazi, the midfield powerhouse who suffered a terrible injury in the round of 16 defeat by France, is now fully recovered, but Michael Babatunde, who was stretchered off against Argentina after a hand injury, is left out.

    Home-based quartet Chigozie Agbim, Azubuike Egwuekwe, Kunle Odunlami and Gbolahan Salami, who were part of Nigeria’s third place finish at the African Nations Championship in Cape Town earlier in the year, also have an opportunity to return to Cape of Good Hope and shine. They are joined by Enugu Rangers marksman Osaguona Ighodaro as the lot from the domestic League.

    Nigeria play Congo’s Red Devils – restored to the race after Rwanda were found guilty of using an ineligible player – in Calabar on September 6 before flying to Cape Town to take on Bafana Bafana on September 10.

  • Korea DPR spies on Falconets

    Korea DPR spies on Falconets

    Officials from the Democratic Republic of Korea whose team have qualified for the semi-final of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup witnessed as Nigeria demolished New Zealand 4-1 in Sunday’s quarter final in Mocton.

    Sporting Life spotted two men from the Asian country seated close to the media tribune taking down notes ahead of today’s semi-final encounter.

    The Asian champions had the time to study their opponents since it was on Saturday they played their match.

    Korea DPR, who were champions in 2006, are still in the race at the expense of defending champions USA.

    While Nigeria were unable to send a team to Montreal, venue of the Korea/USA game, it has been studying the match tape given to them by the FIFA technical group.

    Since Monday the team assembles at the meeting room inside Crown Plaza Hotel to review the game which the Asians won on penalties.

    Both teams are not strange to women’s age grade competitions since it was introduced by FIFA although Nigeria is ahead in terms of participation.

  • Danagogo charges Falconets to go all the way

    As the national women U-20 team, the Falconets battle the Democratic Republic of Korea for a spot in the final of the FIFA U-20 World Cup at the Moncton Stadium in Moncton, Canada, Sports Minister/Chairman, National Sports Commission, Dr. Tammy Danagogo has charged the women to go all the way by not only reaching the final but winning the trophy for the first time.

    Danagogo, according to his Special Assistant on Media, Patrick Omorodion, believes the successes recorded by Nigerian athletes in recent times through the African Youth Games(AYC) in Botswana, the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the African Athletics Championship in Morocco will rub off on the Falconets who are doing well so far.

    “I am convinced our girls will not only qualify but will go all the way to win the cup for the first time following their performance in the competition so far. I believe the successes recorded by our athletes in recent times will rub off on the Falconets and they will also write their names in gold,” he said.

    “I urge them not to rest on their oars but build on the victories recorded from the group stage and the quarter finals to triumph and progress because they have what it takes to become world champions.”

    The Falconets take on Korea today at 9pm. and their coach, Peter Dedevbo is confident of his squad who have been able to break the quarter-finals jinx of past competitions when they competed in the U-17 category.

    “At the U-17 World Cups in 2010 and 2012, we lost in the quarter-finals. Now that jinx is broken. We’ve made it to the semi-finals. I was not scared before the game (against Korea DPR) because I know that, with the quality we have, this team would qualify.

  • Aftermath of FIFA’s letter: Minister tells Maigari to resume office Monday

    Aftermath of FIFA’s letter: Minister tells Maigari to resume office Monday

    Barely 24 hours after world football governing body, FIFA ordered that the impeached President of the Nigeria Football Federation(NFF), Aminu Maigari should be reinstated, the Minister of Sports and Chairman of the National Sports Commission(NSC), Tammy Danagogo has hearkened to FIFA’s order and asked the NFF boss to resume work at his Wuse Zone 7 Secretariat office of the Federation on Monday.

    The Minister disclosed the mission of Maigari at the Abuja National Stadium office and added that the NFF boss’s visit was in continuation of his resolve to ensure that the crisis bedeviling Nigerian sports is over but also to ensure that all the stakeholders are brought together to have  free,fair and peaceful NFF elections.

    “He has come to pay a courtesy call on me.What all well-meaning stakeholders have been trying to do all this while is to ensure that all the problems we are talking about are resolved. We have got his commitment and his board members. You must be aware that I met with the other group a couple of days ago and they have resolved that they are going to work together peacefully and they are going to make sure that the electoral process goes on with more people giving the opportunity to have forms to contest to ensure that the best materials will emerge as the next leaders of our football federation without any form of bias or restrictions. That is what he has come to brief me and he has assured me that they are going to work together peacefully.”

    The Minister also approved of Maigari to run for the post of NFF President if he so wishes but was silent on whether the Bauchi indigene actually sent in his resignation letter as it was being reported.

    “As a man, he has the right to run or not to. It is his decision to make, he also has the right to resign or not to, it is not the minister that would decide for him. Whatever he would decide, he will announce it at the appropriate time.

    “Let us not be in a hurry to forsee what will happen tomorrow. Before FIFA wrote, there was stakeholders’ advice to both the President and the first vice president who was said to be acting to go and work together for the remaining few days before the next election.

    “He will resume on Monday and we expect that when he resumes, he will lead other members who are not present here back to my office,” he noted.

    Maigari, who was accompanied by two of his board members, Ahmed Yussuf Fresh and Ahmed Kawu, told sports reporters that he came to pay a courtesy visit to the Minister as routine.

    “Our visit today is a tradition which we have in the football family. We deemed it necessary to come and pay a courtesy visit to the minister and congratulate him for the brilliant performance of our Team Nigeria at the just concluded Commonwealth Games in Glasgow as well as the performance of our girls in far away Canada. We came to appreciate and declare our loyalty. Our visit today is based on my capacity as the president of the NFF,” Maigari stated.

  • FIFA return Maigari as NFF boss

    FIFA return Maigari as NFF boss

    World football governing body FIFA have ordered Aminu Maigari back to office as president of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

    The NFF executive committee had last month purportedly impeached Maigari.

    But in a letter dated August 14 to NFF general secretary Musa Amadu and signed by Markus Kattner, FIFA deputy secretary general, FIFA clearly stated: “The executive committee of the NFF shall also be reunified as it was before the 2014 World Cup.”

  • AUGUST 2014 FIFA Rankings: Eagles up one spot

    AUGUST 2014 FIFA Rankings: Eagles up one spot

    • Now 33rd in the world

    The Super Eagles of Nigeria are now ranked 33rd in the world according to the latest rankings released by world soccer governing body FIFA for the month of July.

    Super Eagles move one spot up from last month’s ranking but still remain third in Africa, behind Cote D’Ivoire and Algeria.

    Nigeria and Algeria were the only teams to make it past their group at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil among the five Africa representatives at the Mundial. The Super Eagles pulled 664 points, ten points more than their last month ranking.

    Globally 2014 World Cup winners, Germany remain at the top of the world ranking table with 1736 points.

    Argentina lie second place with 1604 points, Netherlands in third place with 1507 points with Columbia in fourth place.

  • NIGERIA vs ENGLAND: FIFA picks Chinese ref

    NIGERIA vs ENGLAND: FIFA picks Chinese ref

    World football governing body, FIFA has picked Chinese referee, Liang Qin, for Wednesday’s final group match between Nigeria’s Super Falconets and their English counterparts at the on-going FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, Canada 2014.

    The game, a group C fixture will be played at the 28,000 capacity Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton.

    Qin was at the centre when France walloped Costa Rica  5-1 at Olympic Stadium Montreal last week.

    The chinese was born in 1979 and has been a FIFA badged referee since 2010.

    The centre referee will be assisted by her compatriots, Fang Yan and Liang Jianping, while Yeimy Martinez from Colombia is the fourth official for the cracker.

    Meanwhile, the Peter Dedevbo tutored girls are currently on top of their group with four points from two games and are seeking for an outright win or a draw to qualify for the quarterfinals of the competition.

    The English girls are second on the log with two points from two games and are desperate to claim maximum three points against Nigeria to also qualify for the final eight. The match is fixed for 1am (Nigeria time) on Thursday.

  • We will beat England — Dike

    We will beat England — Dike

    Nigeria striker, Courtney Dike, who scored the fastest goal in the history of the FIFA U-20 Women World has declared that the Falconets will get a victory against England in their last Group game.

    The win against South Korea was crucial, because everything was very tight after the draws on the opening matchday, Dike told FIFA.com.

    In our next game against England, I’m expecting the team to fight just as hard. I’m convinced that, if we play as well as we did today, we’ll win again.

    Dike, who is ecstatic after the ‘wonder goal’ went on to declare her optimism of doing more at the tournament.

    This gives me loads of confidence, said the forward, now I’m just hoping to keep playing and keep improving alongside the rest of the team. I’m very happy to be here and I hope we can go a long way.

    Nigeria will play England in Edmonton, needing only a point to qualify for the Quarter Finals.

  • FIFA sets to rule on Maigari’s impeachment

    FIFA sets to rule on Maigari’s impeachment

    World football governing body FIFA will give its verdict this week on the impeachment of Nigeria Football Federation president, Aminu Maigari.

    AfricanFootball.com gathered that FIFA members will base their decision on the reply NFF forwarded  to the body on Maigari’s impeachment.

    “FIFA will decide on the purported sack of Maigari before the end of this week,” a source informed AfricanFootball.com

    FIFA had last week demanded a full explanation on Maigari’s impeachment by the NFF executive committee.

    Maigari was reportedly sacked by his executive committee members on July 24.

    FIFA in a letter to NFF General Secretary, Musa Amadu and signed by Deputy Secretary General, Markus Kattner, demanded a more detailed explanation of events leading to Maigari’s sack.

    They asked for the agenda of the executive committee meeting that sacked Maigari, the conditions for the amendment of the agenda and whether the president was given the chance to defend himself formally.