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  • NFF not imposing players on me, says Amodu

    NFF not imposing players on me, says Amodu

    Nigeria caretaker coach Amodu Shaibu has said the list of 66 players given to him by the Technical Department of the Nigeria Football Federation was a positive move to help guide him in decision making.

    On Tuesday, the 54-year-old was handed a list of players eligible to be invited for the Super Eagles’ crunch 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Congo and South Africa next month.

    Amodu led his technical crew, made up of Salisu Yusuf, Gbenga Ogunbote and Alloy Agu, to meet with the Director of the Technical Department of the NFF, Emmanuel Ikpeme to start preparations for the upcoming matches.

    “What the Technical Department of the NFF has done by giving us the list of (66) players is what a proper Technical Department should do for any coach that is coming in,” Amodu told reporters.

    “They have just listed players who play regularly in their clubs home and abroad. These are the kind of inputs we expect from this department.

    “They are not imposing any player on me. They just told me that, ‘look at this large pool of players and come out with the players you want and we will support you.’ That is what they told me,” Amodu clarified.

    He also said that he won’t beg to be appointed the Technical Director of the federation if the new leadership fails to legitimize the appointment that was made by former president, Aminu Maigari.

    “After the Eagles job even if I don’t come back here [to the NFF as Technical Director] I won’t blink an eye because I am not looking for work. At least this is on record and I am not going to repeat myself,” Amodu said.

    Nigeria need to win their two remaining matches in order to qualify for the 2015 AFCON.

    They will travel to Congo on November 14 before hosting group leaders South Africa five days later.

    Amodu was brought in to replace dismissed Stephen Keshi following the poor showing of the African champions who have just one victory after four matches and lie in third place in Group A.

  • Nigeria ‘keen’ on 2015 AFCON hosting

    Nigeria ‘keen’ on 2015 AFCON hosting

    The vice president of the Nigeria Football Federation, Seyi Akinwunmi, has said the country could host the Africa Cup of Nations if asked by the Confederation of African Football.

    Akinwunmi told Goal Nigeria has the capacity to host the continent’s biggest soccer tournament if Morocco withdraws from staging it due to fears over the spread of the Ebola Virus Disease.

    While Morocco is considering the decision of passing up the opportunity to host the tournament, the CAF has already written to a few countries including Ghana and Egypt to ask if they can host the tournament.

    Morocco asked CAF to postpone the tournament to a later date instead of its present January/February schedule but the governing body has rejected the idea.

    “I think we are interested [in hosting the AFCON] Akinwunmi told Goal on Monday.

    “It is not strictly the purview of the NFF alone but we have been asked [if we can host the competition] and we have said yes, why not?

    “I think the National Sports Commission or the Federal Government is looking at the possibility of hosting the tournament,” said Akinwunmi who disclosed that CAF had not yet written to Nigeria on the matter.

    South Africa has already turned down the opportunity to host the tournament with SAFA president Danny Joordan saying: “The AFCON 2015 tournament will not be held here. That issue doesn’t exist. CAF must discuss this matter with Morocco.”

    With the Super Eagles struggling to qualify for the 2015 tournament, hosting the competition would give the team automatic qualification to defend its African title on home soil.

     

  • Super Eagles’Job: Kidnappers, Ebola scare Gullit

    Super Eagles’Job: Kidnappers, Ebola scare Gullit

    • Says Eagles’ assignment is ‘high risk’

    AfricanFootball.com can again exclusively report that former Dutch super star, Ruud Gullit has rejected a chance to coach Nigeria because of the Ebola disease and fears he could be kidnapped in the country.

    Several top sources have confirmed this to AfricanFootball.com since we first broke the news that the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) have mandated a contact in Holland to sound out the former Chelsea coach.

    Nigeria plan to hire a foreign coach immediately after the country’s two 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Congo and South Africa next month, which will be handled by caretaker coach Shuaibu Amodu after Stephen Keshi was not given a new contract.

    But one of Gullit’s representatives told  AfricanFootball.com that he will not be interested in taking up the job because it is “high risk”, while listing out the outbreak of Ebola and security fears in Nigeria particularly as the country is gearing up to conduct a general election next year.

    “Gullit is not interested in coaching Nigeria,” the source informed AfricanFootball.com soon after he had spoken to the ex-Dutch skipper’s agent.

    “His agent told me the job is high risk. She spoke about Ebola and fears about terrorism in Nigeria and she said for those reasons, her client will not be keen.”

    Yet another source confirmed these same fears and added that most top Dutch coaches who may now be approached may equally opt out because of the same reasons.

    “The fear of Ebola in Nigeria is still very real even though the Nigerian government has announced it has successfully tackled the disease there,” this source disclosed.

    “But the truth is that the World Health Organisation (WHO) is yet to certify Nigeria free of the disease.

    “Also, Gullit is a top personality and he told the person who spoke directly to him today (Monday) that he fears he may be kidnapped in Nigeria.”

    The source further added: “What is clear is that these fears may not be only limited to Gullit. Most other top Dutch coaches will also stay away should they be approached for the job.”

    Nigeria’s most successful periods at full international levels where supervised by Dutch coaches Clemens Westerhof and Jo Bonfrere.

    Westerhof led Nigeria to win a second Africa Cup of Nations in 1994 and qualified the country to the World Cup for the very first time that same year.

    His long-time assistant, Bonfrere then lead the country to win the  historic Olympic gold in 1996 in Atlanta, United State of America.

  • NFF sends referees to England

    NFF sends referees to England

    The Nigeria Football Federation  has concluded all arrangements  to send the best of Nigerian referees to the United Kingdom for a special refresher course beginning in the first week of December.

    The three –week capacity building exercise is aimed at preparing the best of Nigerian arbiters to become better officiating officials in the coming years, and to enhance their opportunities of commanding greater recognition by international soccer bodies.

    According to the President of Nigeria Football Federation(NFF) Mr. Amaju Melvin Pinnick, this move is part of the vision of the new NFF Executive Committee to enhance the capacity of our referees for the kind of prominence on the international stage that a leading football powerhouse like Nigeria deserves.

    “The new NFF Board is determined to train and retrain our referees, as well as coaches and administrators with an eye on better output. There is no reason why Nigerian referees should not be holding their own globally. We have the men and women, and all they need do is enhance their knowledge of modern techniques of the profession.

    “In another six months, we will get another company to sponsor another batch of referees to another refresher course. It is a continuous exercise. But selection of beneficiaries will be based on performance on the domestic scene.”

    Pinnick says one of the cardinal programmes of his administration is to improve refereeing in Nigeria, and he sees no reason why a Nigerian referee should not be on duty at the 2018 FIFA World Cup finals in Russia.

    The eleven lucky arbiters on the trip to England in this first phase, who will be led by the Chairman of the Nigeria Referees Association, Alhaji Ahmed Maude and the Chairman of NFF Referees Committee, Alhaji Yusuf Ahmed ‘Fresh’, are Ferdinand Udoh, Abdullahi Shuaibu, Usman Isah, Samuel Pwadutakan, Orowole Tope, Egudia Efosa, Peter Ogwu, Paul Umuago, Musa Dung Davon, Olayinka Olayide and Ukah Ndubuisi.

    It would be recalled that as Chairman of Delta State Sports Commission, Mr. Amaju Pinnick sent two respected referees, Messrs Paul Umuago and Dave Egho to England for capacity building, and the duo officiated Legends’ games at Old Trafford and Stamford Bridge, homes of English Premier League topdogs Manchester United FC and Chelsea FC respectively.

    The trip is being sponsored by Senforce Insurance Brokers, which also sponsored Umuago and Egho on their trip to England, and which has always partnered Delta State Sports Commission on capacity building.

  • NFF set Nov 23 date for Fed Cup Final

    NFF set Nov 23 date for Fed Cup Final

    The Nigeria Football Federation(NFF) has approved Sunday, November 23 as the date for the grand finale of this year’s Men and Women Federation Cup competitions.

    At its meeting in Abuja on Wednesday night, the NFF Executive Committee endorsed the date and observed that holding the finale on this date would still leave enough time for Nigeria’s flagbearer in the 2015 CAF Confederation Cup to register for the competition.

    The grand finale of the 2014 Men and Women Federation Cup competitions had suffered a couple of postponements due to the crises that rocked the NFF for three months.

    Cup holders Enyimba FC of Aba will confront Dolphins FC of Port Harcourt in the men’s final while Rivers Angels of Port Harcourt and Sunshine Queens of Akure face off in the women’s final, to be played same day at the Teslim Balogun Stadium.

    Already, the Lagos State government, through the Commissioner for Sports, Wahid Enitan Oshodi has pledged to ensure even greater glamour for the grand finale, which the Centre of Excellence has consistently and creditably hosted for a number of years now.

     

  • Keshi sacked in Nigeria’s interest – Pinnick

    Keshi sacked in Nigeria’s interest – Pinnick

    The Nigeria Football Federation president, Amaju Pinnick, has explained the rationale behind the sacking of Stephen Keshi.

    The new NFF board showed Keshi the exit on Thursday morning as national team coach, despite his side’s 3-1 home win against Sudan that kept the Super Eagles in the running for the 2015 African Nations Cup in Morocco.

    Pinnick said the decision not to renew the contract of the former Nigerian international was in the best interest of the nation.

    “Does it sound right for us to say that the Eagles played for Keshi and not for the country? So if a new coach comes in now, what would they do? We took the decision in the best interest of the nation.

    “We also saw a lot of things that had happened in the past as there were issues that bothered about security because it was from the beginning of our game against Sudan that a hero in Keshi was booed.

    “We took this decision to save Keshi and let him know that he’s a hero and should remain a hero,” supersport.com quoted Pinnick as saying on Friday morning.

    The NFF president also added that Keshi and his assistants would be paid all their outstanding entitlements within two weeks.

  • ENYIMBA VS DOLPHINS: NFF GIVES REASON FOR FA CUP FINAL DELAY

    ENYIMBA VS DOLPHINS: NFF GIVES REASON FOR FA CUP FINAL DELAY

    Head of competitions of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Dr. Mohammed Sanusi has explained after several delays and postponements why the 2014 Federations Cup for both the male and female categories may likely hold in the third week of November.

    Sanusi stressed that the competition cannot hold before the third week of November as Rivers Angels FC has been greatly depleted by the absence of their key players who are on national duty at the ongoing 2014 AWC holding in Namibia.

    “It cannot be earlier than the third week of next month because we have a team that has about 12 players that is made up of the Women’s national team”

    “Our rules are very clear, once you have a team that has more than four players in the national team away for an assignment, you will have to postpone their matches. Based on these, we want to be fair with all the FA Cup finalists.”

    Dolphins are scheduled to face defending champions Enyimba, while title holders Rivers Angels take on Sunshine Queens of Akure.

  • 2015 NATIONS CUP QUALIFIER: NFF moves Nigeria/South Africa tie to Uyo

    2015 NATIONS CUP QUALIFIER: NFF moves Nigeria/South Africa tie to Uyo

    • To host Super Cup, AGM 

    The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has accepted the request of the Akwa Ibom State government to host the November 19 African Nations Cup (AFCON) return leg qualifier between the Super Eagles and their South Africa counterpart at the Uyo Stadium in Uyo.

    A meeting to relocate the last group qualifier from Abuja was sealed on Thursday between NFF president, Amaju Melvin Pinnick and governor, Godswill Akpabio.

    “The governor expressed his keeness to host the match at the Uyo Stadium which is one of the best in the country and we have accepted,” said Pinnick.

    Pinnick further added that logistics regarding the encounter would be discussed by the board at its next meeting.

    In recent times Nigeria has been playing its matches in neighbouring state, Cross River. The 30,000 seating capacity Uyo Stadium which has been likened to the popular FNB Stadium in South Africa, will be commissioned on November 6 by President Goodluck Jonathan (GCFR). Also in November, the state will play host to the Super Cup finals between the Glo league winner and the FA Cup champion as well as host the NFF Annual General Meeting..

  • Galadima heads NFF peace committee

    Galadima heads NFF peace committee

    Former Nigeria Football Federation president, Ibrajim Galadima, has been chosen to head the NFF peace committee, Goal reports.

    The body which is meant to reunite the Nigeria football fraternity was set up at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, where the newly elected NFF executive committee held its maiden meeting.

    The body also adopted a proposal by a joint meeting of the League Management Company and owners of the 20 Premier League Club to have seven directors to be appointed by a selection committee.

    The Chairman of the Communiqué Drafting Committee, Emeka Inyama, said the executive committee also unanimously agreed to contract a top financial advisory firm to assist in seeking support from Corporate Nigeria, to move the country’s football forward.

     

  • NFF Elections to hold September 30

    NFF Elections to hold September 30

    The elections into the Executive Committee of the Nigeria Football Federation(NFF) will now hold on September 30 in Warri, Delta State.

    The date was confirmed in a circular sent out on Wednesday by General Secretary of the NFF, Musa Amadu, to stakeholders, following his return to office on Monday.

    In the letter, Amadu confirmed the agreement of the  Delta State Governor, Emmanuel Uduaghan, to host the congress.

    The first extra-ordinary General Assembly, that will be convened to elect members of the NFF Electoral Committee, and the NFF Electoral Appeals Committee, will be held on September 20.