The Nation Newspaper

Tag: nff

  • LMC rescinds decision on NPL staff

    •Vows not to pay their salaries
    •NPL staff bank on NFF for rescue

     

    League Management Company, main Organizers of the Nigeria Professional League has reneged on their promise to settle about three months’ salaries of the staff of the Nigeria Premier League.

    NationSport scooped in Abuja yesterday that the LMC officials have told members of staff of the Nigeria Premier League as it was called then before it was re-christened Globacom Premier League, to look elsewhere for respite as regards their unpaid three months salaries since they were not in charge of the league when the said salaries were owed.

    A prominent member of staff of the NPL who does not want his name in print, told NationSport that they were now banking on the parent body, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to come to their rescue as regards the outstanding remunerations.

    “My brother we are currently facing the battle of our lives and we are only hoping the NFF intervenes in this matter before we die of hunger.

    Most of us are finding it very difficult to feed, pay our house rents as well as pay our children’s school fees. Its as bad as that.

    “We were told that our salaries were captured in the Globacom money for the League’s sponsorship only for the leadership of the LMC to backtrack and refuse to pay the outstanding salaries. They claimed that they are not the one to pay us since they had not taken over the saddle of the League when the sum was owed. But the fact remains that even we have been working and we are still working under their (LMC) regime”, the source disclosed.

     

     

     

  • CHAN QUALIFIERS: NFF yet to contact us, says Ahmadu Bello stadium officials

    CHAN QUALIFIERS: NFF yet to contact us, says Ahmadu Bello stadium officials

    Officials of the Zone 6 of the National Sports Commission (NSC) said yesterday that the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) were yet to contact them over the hosting of this weekend’s clash between the home-based Super Eagles and their Ivorien counterparts.

    Zonal Coordinator of the zone, Ademola Areh told SportingLife in his office at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium that even though they have began preparation for the match which is expected to be held in Kaduna, they were yet to hear from the football house over the match.

    The Ahmadu Bello Stadium Kaduna is expected to host the qualifying match for the CHAN tourrnament strictly for home-based players.

    When SportingLife visited the Ahmadu Bello Stadium, there were no indications that such an important match will be held there except for the grass which were being trimmed, but Mr. Areh said even though they are still waiting for the NFF, they have begun preparation for the match.

    Areh said: “As far as the government who are the owners of the stadium are concerned, we are doing everything possible to ensure that the Super Eagles have a good outing when they come to Kaduna. But for the hosting proper, the NFF should be able to explain better. Here we have the facilities and we are ready for them.

    “Crowd control is part of the logistics we are talking about as well as security, medical and so many other areas. But right now as I talk to you, we are still expecting people from NFF to come over to the stadium so that we talk on some of these things. But I have not seen anybody.”

  • NFF to vet Eagles team list

    NFF to vet Eagles team list

    Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) president Aminu Maigari has said coach Stephen Keshi will no longer be solely responsible for selecting the Super Eagles’ squad.

    Maigari queried Keshi’s selection for the Confederations Cup in Brazil, which Nigeria exited at the group stage, and said he is dissatisfied with the whole arrangement.

    “The Confederations Cup is a big tournament and that’s why the other teams brought their best players,” Maigari told Supersport’s Soccer Africa show.

    “Spain brought their best players, but we did not. Why would you bring a local player to play Spain at such a big stage?

    “No-one has come to tell me who to pick and not to select – if the team fails the coach is responsible ”

    “This is unacceptable. We have experienced players that were not selected and this is where we have to step in.

    ‘The coach should not have the sole responsibility on squad selection. We all have to make inputs. This team belongs to 165 million people.

    “Selections should affect all these people so we cannot continue to let this happen because we need to compete well with others.”

    Maigari received widespread criticism for his revelation that the NFF will interfere with team selection.

    And Keshi has been quick to assert his belief that the NFF will not meddle in team affairs.

    “I understand Nigerians are emotive and sentimental sometimes but all the players that went to Brazil deserved to be there,” Keshi told BBC Sport.

    “I’m the coach and I can honestly listen to constructive ideas on how we can improve as a team.

    “But no-one has come to tell me who to pick and not to select. If the team fails the coach is responsible.

    “As the coach, it’s my decision and responsibility. For now, the local players have earned the rights to be in the team.”

    Back in February, Keshi offered to quit his post just hours after leading Nigeria to their first Africa Cup of Nations crown since 1994, following disputes with the NFF.

    But he made a U-turn after an emergency meeting with Nigeria’s Sports Minister Bolaji Abdullahi in Johannesburg.

  • NFF orders Wolves, Akwa to finish Wk 16 game

    NFF orders Wolves, Akwa to finish Wk 16 game

    The Disciplinary Committee of the NFF have ordered the completion of the abandoned Week 16 Akwa vs Warri Wolves game that was played in Uyo.

    The referee on duty during the game, Henry Ogunyamodi, had alleged that the fans of Akwa United, who were leading 2-0, came to assault him in the dressing room at half time. He then decided to end the game, citing security fears.

    The Committee have now ordered the suspension of Ogunyanmodi, he is suspended for the rest of the season.

    The Committee followed the new FIFA rule, which means that the game will continue from where it stopped, it means that the three points and three goals handed to Wolves are now cancelled.

    The other main official at the venue of the game on the day, Match commissioner Ijeoma Nwosu, is also suspended for the rest of the season.

    Akwa United have also been ordered back to Uyo, and the game would now be completed this Sunday at the Uyo township stadium.

  • NFF commends Eagles

    NFF commends Eagles

    The Nigeria Football Federation has commended the Super Eagles for their performance in the busy June football schedule that saw them playing six matches in less than four weeks.

    Speaking exclusively to Nationsports in Abuja, the General Secretary of the Football Federation, Musa Amadu appreciated the efforts of the players and their officials in the matches.

    ‘We commend the team for what they have done for the country. It is not easy for them to be coming from a hectic league season and playing all these series of matches. As you would recall, they were in Germany for some weeks before going to the Northern part of America to play Mexico in a friendly match. After which they traveled to Nairobi, Kenya for a World Cup qualifier, thereafter to Namibia for another match in less than seven days, before taking a 15 hours trip to Brazil for the Confederation Cup where they played three matches winning one and losing two. The boys did their best, and gave what they can offer at that time. I am confident that if the injured players were available for the Coaches to select from, the story would have been different. We were not disgraced at the Confederation Cup, it was very obvious that in all the matches, including the one against World Champions Spain, it was a very close one. We received accolades from all including FIFA. We have learnt our lessons from there, and I am sure that that would help us in our World Cup qualifiers and by the time we go back to Brazil next year, the World would see a different and better Super Eagles”

    The scribe was quick to pass a vote of confidence on the Head Coach of the Super Eagles for including some home based players in the team, “I have to specifically commend Coach Stephen Keshi for his bold step in taking 8 players out of the 23 from the local scene to the Confederation Cup. For some of them, it maybe like a very high level, but in the reality, they must have gotten all the needed experience of been at a big championship like that, but if we look at the performance of those who played, you would see that they have gotten all that is needed to play against the big boys at the world stage, and we expect them to put that in use when the play Cote d’ivore in the CHAN qualifiers next weekend in Kaduna.”

    He cautioned Nigerians not to castigate the team, instead they should be encouraged to do better in subsequent competitions.

  • Onazi thanks NFF for support

    Onazi thanks NFF for support

    INJURED Super Eagles midfielder, Onazi Ogenyi Eddy, is pleased with the support he has received from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) in his period of injury.

    The Lazio defender was ruled of the 2013 Confederations Cup after he suffered a knee injury in the Eagles’ 2014 World Cup qualifier against Namibia’s Brave Warriors in Windhoek.

    Onazi said: “A big thanks to the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) for its support and care.

    “I am motivated to give it all to my beloved country Nigeria.”

    Onazi is expected to return after eight weeks.

  • Broke NFF: No going back on bonus cut

    Broke NFF: No going back on bonus cut

    Broke Nigeria FA have said they will not back down on slashing the win-bonus of the country’s team “no matter the amount of blackmail”.

    The Super Eagles flight to Brazil for the FIFA Confederations Cup earlier this month was delayed after the players staged a protest against a cut in their match bonuses.

    The general secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Musa Amadu, said there is no going back on a decision to slash the bonuses because the association is cash-strapped.

    “Even at $5,000, the Super Eagles remain among the best-paid national teams in Africa. It is a decision of the NFF Executive Committee, taken after thorough deliberation, and we cannot go back on it no matter the amount of blackmail,” said Amadu.

    “The NFF have gone to great length to explain the situation that we have found ourselves and we expect those who should have an understanding of this matter to give dispassionate opinion.”

    The top NFF official also dismissed a report credited to Kano Pillars chairman Abba Yola, who was until recently a former special assistant to the director general of National Sports Commission, that there is a policy on the payment of $10,000 bonus for the players.

    “We are surprised to read the statement by Abba Yola. He was involved enough to know exactly what went on in the days of the Presidential Task Force. The task force had a meeting with the NFF and said they had agreed to increase the team’s win-bonus to $10,000, but that the NFF would only need to pay the normal $5,000 while the task force paid the balance of $5,000,” Amadu further said.

    “I have not seen it anywhere that it is written or captured as policy of the Nigeria Football Federation.

    “The present NFF administration came into office to meet the situation of $10,000 and with good intention, decided to continue paying the players that sum in order to motivate them.”

    He added: “Now that we are challenged and we need to cut our coat according to our cloth, I don’t see why all the hoopla about the slash.

    “When the NFF president and some members of executive committee met with the management of Super Eagles over the matter, and craved their support over the constraints that we have at the moment, they expressed their understanding and that was why the NFF went ahead to implement.”

  • Confederations Cup: Don’t blame Eagles if … – Onigbinde

    Confederations Cup: Don’t blame Eagles if … – Onigbinde

    Former Super Eagles coach, Adegboyega Onigbinde, has declared that the players should not be held culpable if the team fails at the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil.

    Nigeria is in group B of the Confederations Cup alongside Spain, Uruguay and Tahiti but preparations of the West African have been rocked by a row over bonuses between the players and officials of the Nigeria Football Federation.

    Supersport.com reports things escalated badly on Thursday with the players refusing to travel following Wednesday’s FIFA World Cup qualifying game against Namibia in Windhoek.

    Onigbinde has now voiced his sentiments on the issue explaining that the players cannot exclusively be made to share the blame in the face of failure in Brazil.

    “When a team does not do well, we all (blame) the players and the coaches, whereas the causes of some of these things might be administrative,” Onigbinde told Supersport.com on Friday in a thinly-veiled attack on the NFF.

    Onigbinde, a former member of the NFF’s technical committee further stated that he was “sidelined” by the current NFF chiefs “for always standing for the truth.”

    “I was sidelined for always standing for the truth. Anyway, they (NFF) are in charge and they should sort out this issue (over bonus disagreements) but like I said earlier, if the team fails in Brazil, people should understand that these failures could be as a result of administrative negligence and not put the blame squarely on the doorstep of the players and coaches,” he concluded.

    Nigeria will face Tahiti in its opening game at the Confederations Cup on June 17 at the Estádio Mineirao, Belo Horizonte.

     

     

  • NFF reportedly got N6.4m for Mexico game

    NFF reportedly got N6.4m for Mexico game

    Reports reaching futaa.com from Houston has suggested that the Nigeria Football Federation were paid a paltry $40,000 (N6.4m) as appearance fees for the international friendly against Mexico.

    The amount, which was whispered to futaa.com by one of those who work with the organisers, represents what the NFF will receive after all the other expenses relating to the trip, including hotel and transport have been settled.

    However, observers are arguing that the amount is too small for a country that has just been crowned Champions of Africa. They also argue that the said amount will not cover the other expenses the team would have incurred, including the match bonus of the players, and the allowances of the accompanying officials.

    The NFF have never willfully disclosed the financial details of any contract entered into, whether it involves friendly matches, or sponsorship deals.

  • NFF EXPLAINS Eagles did not reject match bonus

    NFF EXPLAINS Eagles did not reject match bonus

    THE Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has moved to explain the furore over bonuses for players that reportedly erupted after the Super Eagles defeated Kenya’s Harambee Stars 1-0 in a 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier on June 5.

    Players of the Super Eagles reportedly refused to accept the $5,000 offered to them by the NFF for the win against Kenya as they insisted on being paid $10,000 which was what they received as winning bonuses for their previous matches.

    The NFF has now explained that the players did not reject the money but only asked for some time “to carry out consultations amongst themselves.” An executive committee member of the NFF, who did not want his name in print, explained that the football federation had good reasons for its decision to slash the players’ monies by half.

    “We have explained severally that the NFF is struggling in the aspect of funds. We reduced the number of members of the backroom staff for this reason,” the NFF member said. The Super Eagles will face Namibia in a 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier on June 12 in Windhoek and many believe the row over the bonuses might affect team spirit and eventually hamper Nigeria’s chances of qualifying for a second consecutive tournament.

    “This issue will create no problems as the boys are all professionals. Let me also state here that the boys never said they will not accept the $5,000 we offered. They only said they needed to carry out consultations amongst themselves. The consultations will involve even the players who are not in Windhoek at present so it may take a while. “I want to commend (head coach, Stephen) Keshi and (assistant, Daniel) Amokachi for stepping in and appealing to the players to accept the money.

    “The NFF is passing through a lot of difficulty and we only receive N1.5bn annually from the government to prosecute all our programmes. “We do not take care of just matters relating to the Super Eagles. We have the senior women’s national team and the other age grade teams who play in continental and global championships.

    “There is also the Beach Eagles and other programmes too. Also, we spend as much as N120m for each home international of the Super Eagles and as much as N150 million when the team plays on the road. “The national team should never be all about money but patriotism, honour and joy to represent the national team. “I still recall vividly those players of South Africa’s Bafana Bafana at the 2013 Afcon said they would not receive any dime as bonuses until after they qualified for the quarterfinals.

    “The Kenya team we defeated on Wednesday; their players are paid just $500 for a win so I do not think the NFF is doing too badly in this regard,” the NFF member said.