Tag: nff

The Nigeria Football Federation has rejected claims of poor treatment on arrival in Nigeria by the captain of the Libya senior men national team, Faisal Al-Badri. NFF insists the Libyan Football Federation created chaos for its own team, the Mediterranean Knights.

NFF’s Assistant Director (Protocol), Mr. Emmanuel Ayanbunmi said the Libya Federation only informed the NFF that its team was landing in Port Harcourt, and not Uyo, only three hours to the team’s arrival on Tuesday.

 “I spoke to the General Secretary of LFF, at length, on Monday, 7th October and he never hinted that his team would be arriving on Tuesday (the following day). He only said he would get back to me but he never did. On Monday evening, someone sent as an advance party by the LFF called me and said his team would be arriving on Tuesday by noon. We made all arrangements to receive the team in Uyo on arrival.

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 “It was only an hour after the team was airborne that he told me the delegation would be landing in Port Harcourt. That disrupted so many things, but we still raced on hurdles to get approval from federal authorities to allow their plane to fly them to Uyo once they concluded immigration formalities in Port Harcourt. Apparently, that would have meant additional cost to the LFF from the charter company, and they didn’t want that, so they preferred to travel from Port Harcourt to Uyo by road.”

Ayanbunmi added that the Libyan delegation jettisoned road transportation arrangements made for them by the NFF and instead hired buses on their own.

 “If they travelled on buses that were not air-conditioned, that had nothing to do with the NFF as they hired their own buses. We provided security for them, with men and vehicles in front and behind their buses, so we are unmoved about their complaints and threats.”

All individuals presently serving as match commissioners in Nigeria football will have to undertake an examination to retain their places, as the Nigeria Football Federation moves to ensure that only capable hands are left in the vocation.

This was disclosed by President of NFF, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau, while addressing the match commissioners on the wing of their annual seminar, at Merit House, Abuja.

“We want only the best hands to continue to function in the very important role of match commissioner in this country. Apart from the fact that this seminar will now be biennial, we are going to conduct an examination to pick the very best who will always make us proud.

 “I am sure that you are all looking forward to becoming FIFA and CAF match commissioners. You can only get to that level if you are competent, capable and digitally-literate. You must also consistently enhance your capacity.”

Earlier, Chairman of the NFF Match Commissioners Committee, Alhaji Babagana Kalli, had praised Alhaji Gusau and the NFF Board for their support and encouragement of match commissioners, as well as remarkable improvements in the various leagues over the past two years.

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 “The Ibrahim Musa Gusau administration has accomplished a number of feats in the past two years, including the Super Eagles’ silver medals at the AFCON which remains the best performance by the team since we won the trophy in South Africa in 2013; the Super Falcons’ return to the Olympics after 16 years and; the qualifications of the Falconets and Flamingos for their various FIFA World Cup championships. There has also been resurgence in grassroots football in the States as well as schools’ football.

“However, we are most fulfilled with the improvements in officiating in the Leagues, and the new moves to rebrand our match commissioners for better performance.”

Kalli announced that the theme for this year’s seminar is ‘Match Commissioning and the Challenges of Match Reporting,’ with Sir Emmanuel Ochiagha, Dr. Sunday Obaseki and Mr. Danlami Alanana as resource persons.

Gusau later announced that match commissioners who pass the upcoming examination, as well as referees and referee assessors, will be presented with new kits being sponsored by Premium Trust Bank, official bank of the NFF and the National Teams.

Present as well at the occasion were NFF 1st Vice President, Chief Felix Anyansi-Agwu; NFF 2nd Vice President, Hon. Gbenga Elegbeleye; Member of NFF Executive Committee, Alh. Sharif Rabiu Inuwa; NFF General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi; Member of NFF Executive Committee and Vice Chairman, Match Commissioners Committee, Alh. Ganiyu Majekodunmi; Members of the Committee, Barr. Paul Edeh, Alh. Sabo Abdullahi Dutse, Chief Kenneth Nwaomucha, Mr. Davidson Owumi and Alh. Idris Abdullahi Musa; Chairman of Abia State FA, Dr. Obioma Onyeaghala; Chairman of Bauchi State FA, Mr. Pascal Patrick; Chairman of Anambra State FA, Mr. Chikelue Iloenyosi and; NFF Director of Communications, Dr. Ademola Olajire.

As football leagues across the globe resumed fully last month, the Nigeria Football Federation is proud to announce the launch of the much- anticipated NFF Monthly Awards, a celebration of the outstanding performances of Nigerian football players across various Football Leagues including Nigeria Premier Football League, NPFL. With the football calendar in full swing, the NFF Monthly Awards aim to honour the brilliance, dedication and passion that Nigerian football players bring to the game, recognizing the top players who have left their mark on the pitch.

The awards are in three  categories including  the  Player of the Month (Male & Female); Goal of the Month and the Discovery of the Month.

The nomination process for the awards is scientific, ensuring a fair and accurate selection of nominees. An independent organization will collect and analyze players’ statistics throughout the month, ensuring that the best performances are highlighted. This unbiased, data-driven approach guarantees that the nominations reflect the top-performing players based on their contribution to their teams.

Nominations for the first round of awards will be announced today , 3^rd  October. From there, voting will be opened to fans and journalists alike, making this a truly inclusive and engaging event for the Nigerian football community.

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Fans and journalists will have the chance to vote for their favourite players via the official NFF voting portal on the website www.thenff.com. The voting period will run for one week following the announcement of the nominations.

Fan Votes will account for 40% of the final decision, enabling supporters to have their voices heard and directly influence the outcome of these prestigious awards.

The remaining 60% will be determined by journalists and industry professionals, ensuring a balanced and well-rounded selection process.

Speaking on the launch of the awards, NFF General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, said:

“The NFF Monthly Awards are a key part of our efforts to further elevate Nigeria football, not only by recognizing outstanding talent but by engaging with fans and the media in a way that brings the football community closer together. We believe that this initiative will encourage excellence on the field and foster a deeper connection between players and their supporters.

 “The NFF Monthly Awards are a step forward in celebrating the rich and growing talent pool, and we look forward to the excitement that the awards will bring to fans, players and the media.”

Football fans across Nigeria are objecting to any moves to extend or renew the contract of Mohammed Sanusi, the long term General Secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) against federation statutes.

This call was made over the weekend by the Movement for the Advancement of Nigerian Football (MANF).

In a statement by MANF’s National Convener, Olayiwola Akande, stated: “We are raising this alarm to save Nigerian football from its current downward slide. Sanusi, as NFF General Secretary for 11 years, has been part of this decline and will continue to be if his tenure is extended illegally by a cabal within the NFF”.

He further added “Unfortunately, the sports ministry has proved to be a complete failure. The toothless leadership has failed to bring the required reforms and fresh changes expected”. MANF has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene and safeguard the future of Nigerian football.

Akande pointed out that Sanusi has been a contract staff member since 2007, despite the availability of more competent civil servants for the position and has had his contract renewed four times, contrary to Federal Government Establishment Regulations.

MANF also advised that the search for a new General Secretary should begin in earnest; “The NFF and Nigerian football need fresh blood and new, progressive ideas to overcome years of poor administration and performance”.

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“The process must be transparent and in compliance with Nigerian Constitution’s principle of federal character as The current NFF president is from Zamfara State in the North West. MANF insists that the NFF Congress as a geopolitical body has no legal or moral right to interfere in the selection of a professional General Secretary. The NFF Statute mandates that the General Secretary should have at least a professional background in Physical and Health Education or Sports management.”

“Today, Nigeria for the first time failed to qualify for major sporting tournaments like the Olympics and World Cup under the current secretary general. All its age grade teams are also failing due to “incompetence and corruption”. Unless this is urgently addressed, Nigerian football will never be able to recover its position in the league of footballing nations.”

“We thank the NFF secretary general for his services but it is time for him to go and allow new fresh faces to take over”. Akande concluded.

The Nigeria Football Federation and the Universal Basic Education Commission have agreed to a meaningful and fruitful collaboration that will see Nigeria challenging strongly for honours in the annual African Schools Football Championship and also compel sporting infrastructure renewal in Nigeria’s pre-tertiary educational institutions.

During a courtesy call on the Executive Secretary of UBEC, Dr. Hamid Bobboyi on Monday, President of NFF Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau explained that the annual competition can spur infrastructural upgrade in Nigeria’s primary and secondary schools, lead to discovery of talents even beyond the imaginable and assure Nigeria’s football future.

“The African Schools Football Championship is for U13 and U15 pupils, and is organized by CAF. There are so many benefits for the winning school, with a prize money of $1million that will be used to provide football infrastructure for that school. I see no reason why our schools should not compete strongly, as triumph for one school in the country will have a multiplier effect on other schools.

 “We have come to UBEC because this matter falls squarely within its purview. Last year, the NFF worked with the Nigeria School Sports Federation to produce representative schools in the male and female categories to fly Nigeria’s flag, in our debut in the competition. However, we believe we should expand the scope and get more schools involved, to have a very strong representation and stand the chance of winning both trophies,” Gusau said. He also disclosed that the NSSF has concluded plans to kick off the state preliminaries of the male and female competitions this month, with the WAFU-B Tournament scheduled for Niger Republic in November, at which the WAFU-B flagbearers for the continental finals will emerge.

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UBEC Executive Secretary, Dr. Bobboyi, praised the leadership of the NFF for the visit, and pledged the full co-operation of UBEC to the project. “Infrastructural deficit is a big challenge in our primary and junior secondary schools, and this project will definitely help to speed up our own efforts to restore the good old days of standard facilities and equipment in our schools.

 “Since 2018, we have been making efforts to restore sporting infrastructure in our schools, by appealing to state governments and providing the equipment that we can. Many countries of the world specifically offer scholarships to athletes simply because of their sporting ability. Sports help children to develop physically and mentally, and we also must safeguard the future of sports by taking practical steps to unearth talents from the schools and the grassroots that can be nurtured for glory.”

Present as well at the occasion were NFF 1st  Vice President, Chief Felix Anyansi-Agwu; General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi; Engr. Sadiq Sa’ad (UBEC Director of Physical Planning); Ademola Olajire (NFF Director of Media & Communications); Okey Obi (NFF Director of Legal Services); Ruth David (NFF Director of Competitions); Dr. Funsho Usman (Secretary General, NSSF); Mrs Rose Medubi (Director, Academic Services); Mr. Osahon Igbinoba (Director, PRS); Alh. Adamu Misau (Director, Finance & Accounts); Mr. Paul Agi (Director, Admin & Supplies); Mr. Hashimu Ojah (Director, NSSF) and; Mrs Lydia Gbagyi (Desk Officer, Sports).

• By  Temi Joshua

The Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) is  barrage of criticisms from enthusiasts of the Super Eagles over the delay in appointing a head coach for the national team ahead of upcoming  2025 Africa Cup of  Nations (AFCON)  in  September.

Since  Finidi George  resigned  last  June , the NFF  has been  looking for a substantive coach  with rumours  of a pending appointment of a Swede, Janne Anderson.

However, a cross section of fans who spoke on a radio station, Brila FM, have  slammed the NFF  for its inability  to  get a coach before the  AFCON  matches against Benin Republic on September 7 in Uyo  and Rwanda on September 13  in Kigali.

“ I think  the NFF is not being serious in getting a coach since Finidi George left in June,” one caller said.

“ This can be dangerous for Nigeria to qualify  for the AFCON in Morocco .

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“ We can’t forget how Benin defeated Nigeria in Abidjan in June.”

Another caller  similarly  blamed the NFF, saying: “Get a coach ready to work immediately NFF,  it’s unfortunate  that the  players don’t know who is going to lead  them to the  battle against Benin  and  Rwanda in September. I‘m disappointed.”

 Commenting  on the likelihood  of appointing the former Sweden’s coach, a caller  also said Anderson  lack the experience to handle the  three-time African champions  who won the AFCON in 1980, 1994  and 2013.

 “Anderson’s lack of experience outside Sweden, where he coached for seven years without achieving significant success,” another caller  equally said. “ Furthermore, he (Anderson)  lacks experience outside  his home land as he has never coached beyond Sweden.”

Meanwhile, checks  at the NFF  revealed that the federation will soon appoint a coach for the Super Eagles as they are already  finalizing  a deal though no name was given.

 “Nothing concrete yet,”  a source privy to the arrangement told NationSports .“ I  think there should be an announcement in a couple of days.”