The Nation Newspaper

Tag: nff

  • NFF protests poor officiating to CAF

    NFF protests poor officiating to CAF

    The Nigeria Football Federation has officially written to the Confederation of African Football over the refereeing in Friday’s game against Zambia at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa.

    NFF had earlier complained about the officiating during Super Eagles’ opening game against Burkina Faso on January 21.

    The Nigerians also felt they were victims of controversial refereeing in Friday’s game against African champions, Zambia in Nelspruit, Supersport.com reports.

    Egyptian referee, Gehad Grisha penalised SS Lazio man, Ogenyi Onazi for a perceived foul on Emmanuel Mayuka with television replays showing that there was little contact from the Nigerian midfielder.

    The replays also showed that the foul also happened outside the box.

     

  • AFCON: NFF rules out ‘huge bonuses’ for Super Eagles

    AFCON: NFF rules out ‘huge bonuses’ for Super Eagles

    The Nigeria Football Federation has been forced to put aside proposed enhanced win bonuses for the Super Eagles at the African Cup of Nations in South Africa.

    Head of NFF finance committee Shehu Adamu informed MTNFootball.com that there would be no added incentives for the Super Eagles to win the Nations Cup.

    Adamu told MTNFootball.com that the football house would maintain the regular win bonus of $10,000 and $5,000 for draw in South Africa

    “We are not preparing anything special as incentives for the Eagles. It’s the regular bonus they would get,” Adamu disclosed.

    The NFF had proposed huge bonuses that would have gone for as much as $30,000-a-man for a win in the AFCON final.

    Such is the financial constraints facing the NFF that the body has been forced to borrow cash for the country’s AFCON campaign after a Lagos court froze its accounts over a contractual dispute with Minaj Television.

    The budget approved by the government for the Nations Cup has yet to be released to the NFF two days to the big AFCON kick-off in Johannesburg despite assurances from top sports ministry officials.

    “We are yet to receive the money for the Nations Cup and this has slowed down a lot of plans for the tournament,” a top official lamented.

    “We are not even sure when the money would be released. We are only hopeful that it would come in on time to avoid hiccups at the games in South Africa.”

     

  • Keshi has his money — NFF

    Keshi has his money — NFF

    The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has denied reports that head coach of the national team, Stephen Keshi is owed salaries and other financial entitlements.

    Executive committee member of the NFF, Barrister Chris Green also revealed that the Federation had never owed Keshi or any of its coaches salaries.

    “The NFF is not owing Keshi salaries and we have never owed him in the past. We have seen reports in some sections of the media claiming we owe the coach salaries but these stories lack facts and substance,” Green told supersport.com.

    The NFF chief also revealed that issues of discontent between players and the NFF which have severally threatened to rock the Super Eagles in the past will not be experienced in South Africa.

    “As I speak to you, we have paid all camp allowances and other financial entitlements to all the players in Faro, Portugal. Morale has never been higher among the players and we are confident they will recompense our efforts with a good showing at the AFCON,” he said.

    Nigeria is in group C of the 2013 AFCON alongside Burkina Faso, Ethiopia and the reigning champions, Zambia.

  • NFF advance party off to South Africa

    NFF advance party off to South Africa

    A STRONG Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) advance party led by NFF board member Emeka Inyama left the shores of Nigeria to Nelspruit, South Africa yesterday evening to conclude arrangements for the Super Eagles’ entry into the country for the 2013 African Nations Cup.

    SportingLife reports that the NFF delegation left the Zone 7, Abuja Secretariat of the football house around 5.15pm for the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport yesterday.

    Among the members that left for South Africa yesterday were Director of Competition of the NFF, Dr. Sanusi Mohammed and the officer in charge of Super Eagles’ kits, Taju Tiamiyu. They left the country via Arik Air yesterday.

  • NFF wants Amaechi to head AFCON delegation

    NFF wants Amaechi to head AFCON delegation

    The Nigerian Football Federation has appealed to the Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Chibuike Amechi, to head the delegation to the African Nations Cup kicking off in South Africa on Saturday.

    Sources in Port Harcourt told futaa.com that the pair of NFF chairman Aminu Maigari, and the head of technical committee, Chris Green, were at the Rivers State House in Port Harcourt on Monday, to put the request to the governor.

    The sources further confirmed that the governor politely turned down the request.

    He was said to have told the NFF officials that he is too busy at the moment to take on such an assignment that will remove him from his desk for the entire durations of the Eagles stay at the tournament.

    He only promised to be at the first game of the Super Eagles, and the Final, if they make it that far.

    The reasons for trying to appoint the Governor as Head of Delegation is not clear, given his past scathing remarks about the way the NFF handles its finances.

     

  • NFF vets Eagles’ final list

    NFF vets Eagles’ final list

    Nigeria’s final 23-man squad for the AFCON will be vetted by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) technical committee before it is made public.

    Eagles spokesman Ben Alaiya said Nigerians may not get to know the Eagles final squad on Tuesday as expected because the NFF technical committee would have to vet the list and then approve it.

    “The team list will be ready today (Tuesday) by lunch time, but I don’t think it will be released to the public today because the list has to be sent to NFF technical committee to approve it,” Alaiya said.

    “We are expecting NFF president Aminu Maigari, technical committee chairman Chris Green and sports minister Bolaji Aminu (sic), if they arrive in time, it could make it faster to make public the list.”

    The official said there is anxiety in the Eagles’ training camp in Faro, Portugal, as the players are eager to know their fate.

    “There is anxiety in camp as every player wants to be on the list which is not possible, there are some players who are so confident they are on the list, but some are not,” he reported.

    “The anxiety showed on faces of some players when the two-a-side training on Monday and those who stayed out were wondering whether they will make it or not. We trained by 8pm local time yesterday (Monday), the actual time we are to play Cape Verde on Wednesday.”

  • NFF: Eagles have raised our expectations

    Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) 1st vice president Mike Umeh has told futaa.com that the Super Eagles have raised the body’s expectoration for a memorable outing at the forthcoming Nations Cup with Wednesday’s winning of the Catalonia trophy.

    Nigeria failed to show any respect for the star-studded Spanish side recovering from an early goal to force a 1-1 draw in the match played at the home ground of La Liga club Espanyol and Umeh said the feat is a morale booster ahead of South Africa 2013.

    “If we had lost like 5-0 it would have dampened the team spirit and considering the fact that the goal scored by their opponents came as early as the start of the game, they were able to stay composed.”

    Umeh stated that the team would have derived a positive psychological effect from the match.

    “Psychologically, if we can hold a team like Catalonia to a draw, they can then see it as a challenge that if they stay focused, they can play any team in Africa without fear.”

  • No plan to sanction Odemwingie – NFF

    No plan to sanction Odemwingie – NFF

    The Nigeria Football Federation has made it clear that there is no plan yet to sanction West Bromwich Albion forward, Peter Osaze Odemwingie.

    Odemwingie, 31, this week attacked the Super Eagles head coach, Stephen Keshi, the football federation, the Super Eagles’ captain and ex-internationals after he was left out of the Africa Cup of Nations provisional squad.

    Reports this week in the local media revealed that the 31-year-old forward could be slammed with a life ban by the NFF for his rant on social media networking site, Twitter.

    But an executive committee member of the football federation, Chris Green, told supersport.com on Thursday that there are no such plans.

    “Why would we ban a player in the twilight of his career? Yes he has insulted virtually everyone – the federation, the national team head coach and even ex-internationals but we have no plans to ban or suspend just yet.

    “Remember we still have the Nations Cup and the World Cup to play for. Also, like the popular parlance says ‘you don’t throw away the baby with the bath water,’ the federation will only look into the matter carefully before making any statement. Right now, the Nations Cup is uppermost in our agenda and we don’t want any distraction.

    “But I want to state it categorically that Nigeria is bigger than any player or anybody to hold to ransom. Osaze is not the only player dropped from the team. Obafemi Martins, Kalu Uche, Obinna Nsofor and other players were left out and they didn’t say anything untoward but accepted it.

    “He is supposed to be a role model. Imagine if this man is part of the team’s camp he would have disrupted the peace there. Yet the same man wanted the captain’s armband when there’s already an existing captain and even a deputy,” Supersport.com quoted Green as saying in the interview.

    The NFF chief also made it clear that the Albion man still needs Nigeria.

    “It was on the back of Nigeria that he rode to success and I will say it that he still needs Nigeria. But let’s allow him the benefit to continue with his rant for now,” he said.

     

  • NFF inspects Sani Abacha Stadium

    NFF inspects Sani Abacha Stadium

    Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has inspected the Sani Abacha Stadium, Kano, to know the state of the facilities ahead of next year’s CAF Champions League games.

    The League Champions, Kano Pillars will face Olympique de Bangui from the Central African Republic in the preliminaries of the 2013 CAF Champions League.

    The Pyramid side will first host their opponents between February 15 and 17 with the return leg clash fixed for between March 1-3.

    The NFF Director of Competitions, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi led the three-man delegation to the inspection tour of the ancient City. They are expected to submit their report to the NFF board for onward ratification.

    Also, the final inspection will be conducted by the CAF representatives and NFF officials in the first week of January for the final approval of the stadium.

    “The NFF Director of Competition, Dr. Sanusi and two others were in Kano for the inspection of the Sani Abacha Stadium. As you are aware, Pillars, as league Champions, will play in the CAF Champions League and NFF must be satisfied that the stadium is in good condition and it meets CAF/FIFA standard. That is why they were here. And based on their assessment, I have no doubt that the stadium would be given the go-ahead to host CAF matches,” the club’s media officer, Idris Malikawa told SportingLife.

    “Dr. Sanusi also told us that we would be informed if there is any area we need to work on before the final inspection by the CAF representatives in January.”

  • NFF denies Osaze’s life ban

    NFF denies Osaze’s life ban

    • Maigari doesn’t think the Eagles star erred
    •Says, ‘We won’t stop Keshi from inviting him’

    president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has denied moves allegedly made by the body to impose a life ban on Super Eagles enfant terrible Osaze Odemwingie on his Twitter acount last Sunday.

    Disclosing this exclusively to SportingLife on telephone on Wednesday, Maigari revealed that Osaze was just expressing his fundermental human rights of expressing himself, adding that; “What he wrote was on his personal Twitter acount. He didn’t address it to the NFF or the Super Eagles chief coach Stephen Keshi. As far as we are concerned it is just a media sensation. Until he addresses those rants to us (NFF and Keshi) would we consider it as an offence.

    “It shows that he is hurt. Who won’t be? Do you know what it means to wear the Nigerian jersey at the Africa Cup of Nations? Don’t you know that is the biggest platform for football in Africa? He will soon calm down and change for the better.

    “If Keshi considers Osaze good enough for subsequent assignments, we will not stop Keshi from inviting him. We want to parade our best players at any given time for big competitions. Keshi has been given the free hand to pick his players. We won’t interfere with his selection process,” Maigari said.