The Nation Newspaper

Tag: nff

  • 2016 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup : Falconets set to redeem Nigeria’s image

    2016 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup : Falconets set to redeem Nigeria’s image

     

     

    The Super Falconets have vowed to redeem the country’s image in their Group B match against Canada on Wednesday at the Beva Park Port Moresby after they were pummeled 6-0 in their opening game against Japan on Sunday. 

    In a chat with the NationSport, the media officer of the team, Monica Iheakam said the girls had shaken off the grief of their defeat and were ready for the matches ahead of them.

    She said: “The defeat was indeed an emotional one for all of us. But we have moved on. The focus is now on Wednesday’s match against Canada and the girls have vowed to fight like wounded lions to redeem Nigeria’s image”

    Iheakam revealed that Coach Dedevbo Peter had urged the girls to fight to the end.

    She said: “The coach told the players that it is not over yet. He told them to shake off the grief because some cried. And good enough, they have snapped out of it. In fact, the female officials led by the team secretary, Dupe Shabi had to go to their rooms’ one after the other to talk to them.”

    Also, Falconets defender, Glory Ogbonna has vowed that the team would fight on and revive their World Cup hopes as well as redeem Nigeria’s image in Papua Guinea.

    Ogbonna said: “As a team, we have accepted the fact that we started badly against Japan, but it doesn’t mean that we have given up because all hope is not lost.  I believe that Sunday’s defeat was a wake-up call for us. If we had won or drawn that game, apparently the whole team would feel that we have arrived. Canada is a must-win for us and it is not negotiable.

    Coach Dedevbo said: “This is the time for us to fight till the end of the competition it would be fool-hardy for us to start feeling sorry for ourselves because it will affect our focus for the remaining games in the tournament.”

  • Owolabi to Eagles: Don’t settle for less

    Ahead of Saturday’s world cup qualifier against Algeria in Uyo, former international Felix Owolabi has charged Super Eagles to focus solely on victory, insisting that settling for less is not an option

    The odds according to him favour the Eagles who must build on the advantage they have to avoid last minute calculations that has become the norm in recent times.

    While calling for maximum support for the team, Owoblow’ said after shooting into the lead in the group, Eagles must not drop the baton but maintain the tempo all the way.

    “This is a must win match. We won our first match and the Algerians drew theirs which is an advantage but we must not dwell on that advantage, rather we should aim at another resounding victory to further boost our chances to Russia 2018,”he said.

    Amidst report of growing injuries in the Algerian camp, the former veteran of the Nigerian premier league advised the Gernot Rohr-tutored side not to take anything for granted as the visitors are formidable and will not come cheap despite reported injuries.

    A win for the Eagles in Uyo will see the side garner six points in two matches. Algerians go into the match with only one point in the kitty same with indomitable Lions of Cameroon, while Zambia will be seeking their first point when they face Cameroon in their second match same day.

  • Ahead of FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup: Falconets depart for Papua New Guinea

    Ahead of FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup: Falconets depart for Papua New Guinea

    Nigeria’s Falconets have left the country for Papua New Guinea, a country 160km north of Australia on Monday.

    The team is placed in Group B alongside Spain, Canada and Japan and will play their first match against Japan on November, 13.

    Nigeria alongside four other countries have made it to all editions of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup. However, the Super Falconets have lost in the finals in 2010 and 2014.

    In between, Nigeria finished fourth after losing the semi-finals to USA and the play-off to Japan. In 2002 and 2004, they were unable to make a mark in the group stages, while they were beaten in the quarter-finals in 2006 and 2008.

  • NFF, South Africa in discussions for Super Falcons

    NFF, South Africa in discussions for Super Falcons

    The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF)’s Technical and Development Committee chairman, Chris Green has disclosed to SportingLife that the Football House is making a last minute attempt to woo the Banyana Banyana of South Africa for the Super Falcons for a friendly tie ahead of the forthcoming 2016 Africa Women Cup of Nations competition scheduled for Cameroon later this month.

    The Super Falcons are the reigning champions after winning the 11th edition held in Windhoek, Namibia two years ago but NFF’s lean purse has forced the senior women’s national team from playing grade A friendly matches against their potential rivals in Cameroon.

    The team has played some matches against local sides in the country and even pipped Falconets, the national team U-20 side in a test game had on Thursday in Abuja through a Chioma Wogu’s solitary strike.

    But Green in a chat with SportingLife revealed that the NFF has begun

    negotiations with South Africa over a chance for a test duel before the start of hostilities in Cameroon but that it has not been confirmed.

    He said the NFF is satisfied with the current spate of preparation of the Florence Omagbemi led Falcons and that the Football House is confident that the senior women’s national team won’t disappoint in Cameroon when the competition starts on November 19 through December 3.

    Falcons, who have won the competition for record seven times are gunning for an eighth title from 12 attempts and will face Mali (November 20), Ghana (November 23) and Kenya (November 26) in Group B and will play all their group matches at the Stade Municipal de Limbe in Limbe.

  • Exclusive: Maureen Madu ready to partner NFF on sponsorship

    Exclusive: Maureen Madu ready to partner NFF on sponsorship

    Former Super Falcons player, Maureen Madu has expressed interest in sponsoring the country’s female football teams if she is approached by the appropriate authorities.
    In a chat with the NationSports, the most capped player of the Super Falcons of Nigeria stated that she is ready to give back to a society that made her a successful and well known footballer across the globe.
    “The door is open if they approach me on the area of sponsorship. If they come with their proposal, I will study it, if it is what I feel I can do, I will do it. And from experience, I believe the NFF know the right thing to do. If I am being called by the NFF, I will not reject the offer to impart my wealth of experience on the players,” she said.
    Madu who gave out a monetary award of N50, 000 to the Most Valuable Player of the Nigerian National League (NNL) on Saturday was also of the opinion that Nigeria Football Federation(NFF) should ensure that they create awareness for sponsors and the good benefits they would derive from sponsoring female teams in the country: “The NFF have to protect their own , they should not say things that would be of negative impact on the teams. Nobody will want to associate with such a team or club,” she noted.
    On the issue of lesbianism amongst female football teams in Nigeria, Madu stated that such sexual orientation did not exist during her days as a Super Falcons Player.
    She said: “I don’t think Lesbianism existed between us. The coaches we had then, were very strict. Coach Ismail Mabo never allowed it. Whenever we are being called to the national team, they don’t put us together in the same room. I don’t think it existed that period when we were there. Although In Norway, Denmark they permit it because according to them it is love it doesn’t matter. In Europe, it is legalized, you cannot tell people what to do, but here in Nigeria our culture is different.”

  • NFF owes Moses N8.7 million for flight tickets

    NFF owes Moses N8.7 million for flight tickets

    Allnigeriasoccer.com
    can confirm that Chelsea
    winger Victor Moses is owed 15,000 pounds (approximately N8.7 million) by the Nigeria Football Federation, being unreimbursed traveling expenses incurred for honoring national team invitations.

    The former England U21 international has not written off those expenses, and there is no positive feedback from the federation on when he will be paid.

    Chelsea have confirmed that their new wing-back suffered an injury against Hull City just before the international break, but it is believed that he would have traveled to Abuja nonetheless for national team medics to assess his injury if he was sure of getting a refund.

    Few days before the invited foreign based professionals were supposed to start arriving in Abuja, the Nigerian Federation contacted them to buy their own flight tickets.

    Moses, 25, is in London receiving treatment ahead of Chelsea’s Premier League clash against Leicester City next weekend.

  • FIFA World Cup Qualifier: Eagles’ trip to Zambia not doubtful – NFF

    FIFA World Cup Qualifier: Eagles’ trip to Zambia not doubtful – NFF

    The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has condemned, in very strong terms, a report in some media outlets including America’s Cable News Network (CNN) that it cannot fly the Super Eagles to a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying match in Ndola on Sunday, 9th October 2016.

    Nigeria’s football –governing body viewed the report as baseless, misleading and despicable, not only against Nigerian football, but against the Nigerian nation.

    The NFF insisted that the report was the concoction of an idle mind and challenged the purveyors of the falsehood to name their source.

    On Thursday, the NFF assured Nigerians that it had concluded arrangements on getting players and officials of the Super Eagles to Abuja for a training camp starting on Sunday, 2nd October, getting the team to and from Zambia and getting the players back to their various clubs after the national assignment.

    The body called for the support and prayers of Nigerians at this time, and urged that the players be allowed to focus on the big task of qualifying the nation to the 2018 FIFA World Cup, without so much negative stories and insinuations.

    The NFF noted that, over the past few months, some persons have made it their business to fabricate unhealthy stories about the NFF and Nigerian football. It called on all stakeholders to disregard, henceforth, any report about the NFF that did not emanate from the NFF Communications Department.

    While admitting financial challenges as a result of the current state of the economy, the NFF expressed solid faith that matters would never get to the point of Nigeria being unable to get its National Team to the venue of a competitive match or championship.

     

  • NFF receives $60,000 from CAF

    NFF receives $60,000 from CAF

    • To pay Siasia, Amoo 4 months salary arrears

    • Accounts to be
    credited soon

    President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Melvin Pinnick has directed the accounts department through the General Secretary, Mohammed Sanusi to facilitate the process of paying the salaries of Dream Team V1 head coach Samson Siasia and his assistants from the $60,000  grant received from Confederation of African Football (CAF).

    Pinnick assured that the accounts of the U – 23 National Team handlers will be credited in the next few days.

    He confirmed that the coaches have not been paid for four months which he attributed to lack of funds.

    Speaking further, Pinnick admitted that his board is faced with financial difficulties and sponsors are not willing to invest in football as a result of the economic hardship facing the country.

    “There is no administrator who would not want to pay his workers but the money is not there. Sponsors are going through difficult times. I know what I am talking about because I am from the business world. Things are very very difficult,”  Pinnick said.

  • How Rohr’s salaries will be paid – Pinnick

    How Rohr’s salaries will be paid – Pinnick

    The president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick, on Tuesday explained how the salaries of new Super Eagles Technical Adviser, Gernot Rohr, will be paid by the federation.

    Rohr signed a two-year contract to manage the Super Eagles on Tuesday.

    Pinnick, in a YouTube interview, said a yet-to-be-named oil company has agreed to bankroll the new coach salaries.

    “For transparency and accountability, this sponsor will pay money to the NFF financial consultants, Financial Derivatives, who will then pay the coach,” africanFootball.com quoted the NFF supremo as saying during the interview.

    “Financial Derivatives, headed by Bismark Rewane, a man of impeccable character, will interface with the sponsor. The NFF will not pay the coach directly.”

  • Super Eagles to get new technical adviser in August – NFF

    Super Eagles to get new technical adviser in August – NFF

    The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) will appoint a technical adviser for the Super Eagles in August.

    The Chairman of the NFF Technical and Development Committee, Chris Green, said this in a chat with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday.

    The NFF Executive Committee had given the committee seven days to name a technical adviser for the Super Eagles following the federation’s botched attempt to employ Frenchman Paul Le Guen as technical adviser earlier this month.

    “We are working to ensure that we finish with the other incidentals, because at the last time we didn’t do that.

    “We left it for the executive to do, which ordinarily should be their responsibility.

    “But when they now asked us to go and do it again, they told us to complete everything with the process and send recommendations.

    “And we are doing that now. We don’t want a situation where somebody will come out again and say this and that.

    “As I speak with you, we have made contacts, we have done interviews, we have asked questions and the rest of them – even verifying from every other person.

    “We have considered at a lot of people, but we have zeroed in on one person.

    “It may not be from the former list. It is a different exercise entirely, because as I speak to you, even when we have closed entries, some people are still applying,’’ Green told NAN.