The Nation Newspaper

Tag: nff

  • AFCON: NFF dismisses Newcastle’s claim on Ameobi

    AFCON: NFF dismisses Newcastle’s claim on Ameobi

     

    The Nigeria Football Federation has debunked a claim by Newcastle that Shola Ameobi will skip next month’s African Cup of Nations and that coach Stephen Keshi is aware of this.

    “We are not aware of such a thing about Shola (Ameobi), he is a FIFA-listed player for us. The federation is not aware, the head coach is not aware of this and that was why Shola was called up for the competition.

    “We will do all within us to see that Shola or any player picked by the coach for the Nations Cup is released to us,” spokesman for the NFF, Ademola Olajire, told MTNFootball.com.

    Newcastle United manager, Alan Pardew, said Shola Ameobi will not be going to the Nations Cup with Nigeria, according to BBC sports.

    The Kogi State indigene is on the 32-man provisional squad released by Keshi last week.

    Pardew said: “Shola won’t be going. The national team manager knows the reasons, which I am keeping to myself.”

    Ameobi made an encouraging debut in a 3-1 friendly win over Venezuela last month, setting up the third goal in Miami.

     

  • NFF to invite 17 foreign-based players for AFCON

    NFF to invite 17 foreign-based players for AFCON

    NFF to invite 17 foreign-based players for AFCON

     

    The Nigeria Football Federation will announce this week, the 17 foreign-based players for the African Cup of Nations training camp in Faro, Portugal, officials said.

    Officials informed MTNFootball.com that there will be a few notable omissions on the list, while several other players could well be placed on standby to cover for injury and other unforeseen circumstances.

    “The invitation letters have been sent out to the players and their clubs, but they have also been told to keep it quiet until the list is made public probably by Friday.

    “There will be a few shocks, otherwise it will be the usual suspects on the list with some players probably placed on standby,” a top official disclosed.

    Holland-based defender Kenneth Omeruo is already one of the surprise call-ups as he has yet to be capped at full international level and was not involved in the qualifying tournament for the 2013 AFCON.

    He has played at central defence for both the U-17 and U-20 teams but could well be considered for the problematic right fullback position which is where he plays for his Dutch club ADO Den Haag.

    Spain-based striker Ikechukwu Uche, skipper Joseph Yobo, Ahmed Musa and Nosa Igiebor are among those called up for the AFCON.

    The Eagles, drawn from players from the domestic league and Norway-based Fegor Ogude, began training Monday morning in Abuja.

    The 24-man squad will train once a day for the time being and they are due to depart for Portugal on December 27.

     

  • NFF BACKS SAND EAGLES

    NFF BACKS SAND EAGLES

    THE Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) is optimistic that the Supersand Eagles would defend their title at the second edition of the Copa Lagos Beach Soccer Championship.

    The Nigerian side laboured in their first game beating the Cedars of Lebanon 7-6 at the Eko Atlantic Beach Soccer Stadium on Friday.

    NFF president, Aminu Maigari, who watched the game from the stands on Friday, believes that the Supersand Eagles will improve their games against their next two foes.

    “Yes, the game against Lebanon was a tough game in which it was at the last minute we won the game. No cause for alarm, because I believe that the Supersand Eagles will give Nigerians a Christmas gift by winning the championship,” Maigari said.

  • NFF to honour Jaja, Omokhaye

    NFF to honour Jaja, Omokhaye

    THE NIGERIA Football Federation (NFF) has announced that it will honour former Member of the Board and Deputy Chairman of the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party, Dr. Sam Sam Jaja and one-time Secretary General of then Nigeria Football Association, Pa Herbert Olanrewaju Omokhaye, at its 68th Annual General Assembly in Port Harcourt on Thursday.

    Jaja, a former President of the Nigeria Referees Association who was on the board, will be conferred with honourary membership of the Executive Committee of the Nigeria Football Federation.

    Omokhaye, also a former referee and administrator of repute, who turned 80 recently, will be honoured with an Award of Meritorious Service to Nigeria football.

    NFF General Secretary, Barrister Musa Amadu said on Monday that all arrangements have been concluded for Thursday’s showpiece in the Rivers State capital.

    “The Executive Committee of the NFF decided it was time we start giving honour unto whom it is due. To this end, the Committee has pencilled down Dr. Sam Sam Jaja and Pa Omokhaye for honour this year,” Amadu said.

    “This will become a feature of the Annual General Assembly.”

    Officials also confirmed that about a dozen members of staff, who have spent 20 years and above in the service of the Federation, will be honoured.

    The Executive Governor of Rivers State, Rt. Hon. (Dr.) Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, CON will be chief host at Thursday’s event, at which the Honourable Minister/Chairman, National Sports Commission (NSC), Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi will be the special guest of honour.

    Among other guests will be the Director-General of NSC, Patrick Ekeji, chairman of the Senate Committee on Sports, Senator Adamu Gumba, chairman of the House Committee on Sports, Hon. Godfrey Gaiya, past NFF Presidents John Obakpolor, Abdulmumini Aminu, Dominic Oneya, Ibrahim Galadima and Sani Lulu Abdullahi, past NFF Secretaries General Momodu Kadiri, Sani Ahmed Toro, Ahmed Tijjani Yusuf, Fanny Ikhayere Amun and Bolaji Ojo-Oba.

    The 15 members of the NFF Executive Committee, with President Aminu Maigari at the head and Board Secretary Musa Amadu behind, will lead the 88 delegates into the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Hotel, Port Harcourt for the opening ceremony that starts at 10am. The delegates are: Chairmen of the Football Associations of 36 States and FCT; Secretaries of the Football Associations of 36 States and FCT and; Chairmen and Secretaries of the Leagues (Premier, National, Women and Nationwide), Players’ Union, Coaches Association and Referees Association.

  • NFF rejects Baribote’s sack

    NFF rejects Baribote’s sack

     

    The Nigeria Football Federation has rejected the decision of club bosses to sack the Victor Baribote-led Nigeria Premier League board, MTNFootball.com reports.

    The NFF said the decision to dissolve the NPL board did not comply with the statutes of the NPL.

    Baribote has maintained he was not aware of the decision to sack him and that the club chairmen did not adhere to the statutes of the NPL before taking the decision.

    In a communiqué issued after an emergency NFF executive committee meeting in Abuja on Friday, the body ordered the NPL to stage their congress on December 11 in Abuja.

    The NFF therefore appointed three of their executives, Emeka Inyama, Sulaiman Yahaya Kwande and Shehu Adamu, to attend Tuesday’s congress as observers.

    On Wednesday, the chairmen of at least 16 clubs passed a vote of no confidence on Baribote and his executives.

    They sacked the board and in their place appointed a six-man interim committee led by Mike Idoko.

     

  • EAGLES COACHING JOB Siasia blasts NFF

    EAGLES COACHING JOB Siasia blasts NFF

    •Faults Glasshouse on Keshi’s deal too
    •To seek legal advice in future

    FORMER Nigeria international, Samson Siasia, has exclusively told supersport.com that the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) never wanted him as head coach of the Super Eagles.

    Siasia coached the Nigeria national team between 2010 and 2011 but was sacked following the Super Eagles’ failure to qualify for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.

    With his successor, Stephen Keshi successfully steering the Super Eagles to a place at the 2013 finals in South Africa, Siasia has now revealed that he lived on borrowed time as Nigeria head coach.

    “These guys (at the NFF) never wanted me. It was the Nigerian public that actually wanted me to coach the Super Eagles. What the NFF did was to invite a lawyer from the United States during the signing of my contract. It was like a set-up and I ended up signing a bad contract,” Siasia told supersport.com.

    Siasia said “several things happened” which prevented him from delivering the 2012 Afcon ticket to Nigerians.

    “I wanted to get that ticket for Nigerians but several things happened and I failed. But in life you have to learn from your mistakes and I have learnt,” he said.

    The former Nantes striker then took the time to voice his sentiments about a proposed return to the national team as coach.

    “When I come back again as coach of the Super Eagles, I will not make the mistakes I made earlier. I will get a lawyer to look at the contract. They will advise me on what to do.

    “(Present Nigeria coach), Stephen Keshi has the same contract and it is sad. It is sad because if (the NFF) continues to fire coaches at will, when are we going to have a coach that will stay for a very long time to build a good team?

    “That’s why Nigeria continues to fail at international level,” he concluded.

  • NFF meets today on AFCON

    NFF meets today on AFCON

    The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) will meet today in Abuja to deliberate on, among other things, the country’s AFCON preparation.

    The NFF executive committee will also discuss the issues concerning the Nigeria Premier League (NPL), which have caused a delay in the kick-off of the new season.

    President of the NFF Aminu Maigari told MTNFootball.com several other issues concerning the game will be discussed at the meeting.

    Maigari maintained that the board are united and committed to deliver results.

    “There is no crack whatsoever in the executive committee of the NFF,” he said. “Even in a family, members disagree to agree and this is what is happening, but on Wednesday all issues would be put to rest.”

    Maigari also confirmed that the NFF Annual General Assembly will take place in Port Harcourt on December 13 despite opposition by some stakeholders after chief host Governor Rotimi Amechi dismissed the NFF as corrupt recently.

    “The AGA will take place on December 13 in Port Harcourt. Arrival of delegates is December 12 and on the morning of December 13, we will pay the governor a courtesy call,” he disclosed.

  • NFF meets Wednesday on AFCON, others

    NFF meets Wednesday on AFCON, others

    The Nigeria Football Federation will meet on Wednesday in Abuja to deliberate on among other things the country’s preparation for next year’s African Cup of Nations in South Africa.

    MTNFootball.com reports that the NFF executive committee will also discuss the issues concerning the Nigeria Premier League (NPL), which has caused a delay in the kick-off of the new season.

    President of the NFF, Aminu Maigari, told MTNFootball.com several other issues concerning the game will be discussed at the meeting.

    Maigari maintained that the board members are united and committed to deliver results.

    “There is no crack whatsoever in the executive committee of the NFF.

    “Even in a family, members disagree to agree and this is what is happening, but on Wednesday all issues would be put to rest,” he said.

    Maigari also confirmed that the NFF Annual General Assembly will take place in Port Harcourt on December 13 despite opposition by some stakeholders after the Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amechi, dismissed the NFF as a corrupt body recently.

    “The AGA will take place on December 13 in Port Harcourt. Arrival of delegates is December 12 and on the morning of December 13, we will pay the Governor a courtesy call,” he disclosed.

     

  • NFF writes Mali FF on team’s travel plans

    Miffed by the delay tactics deployed by the Mali Football Federation to keep their itinerary close to their chest, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has written the West African side to provide their travel plans ahead of their weekend CAF U17 Championship qualifier against the Golden Eaglets.

    The NFF’s Assistant Director (Media), Demola Olajire in a brief chat with SportingLife explained that the country’s football house resorted to sending a letter to Mali after waiting endlessly to hear from their November 18th foes in the first leg of the final qualifying round slated for the U.J. Esuene Stadium, Calabar.

    He informed that the Mali FF said they would make available their itinerary only after their meeting on today.

    “We have just written to the Malians after we waited without any official word from them on when they are billed to arrive Nigeria.

    “They replied that their travel plans would be decided on Wednesday after holding a meeting to that effect. We don’t want to be caught unprepared. So we are preparing towards Friday as their likely day of arrival,” Olajire said.

    The Eaglets had defeated Niger Republic and Guinea U17 teams in glowing fashion in the earlier rounds and if they surmount the obstacle called Mali, Nigeria will be staging a return to the CAF U17 Championship scheduled for Morocco next year for the first time since 2007 when the Late coach Yemi Tella tutored side last won the competition for the country in Togo.

     

  • Onyedinma wants more FIFA seminars, thumbs up NFF

    Onyedinma wants more FIFA seminars, thumbs up NFF

    The Chairperson of the Nigeria Women League Board (NWLB) Dili Onyedinma has expressed happiness over the recently held first-ever FIFA Women Coaching Seminar organised by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and financed by FIFA for women football coaches in the country, saying the development is an indication of a better future for women football in Nigeria.

    The six-day clinic which was held in Park View Hotel and FIFA Goal Project center, Abuja was supervised by a South African FIFA instructor, Fran Hilton Smith who thumbed-up the attitude and conduct of the participants.

    Onyedinma, while reacting to newsmen after the event, commended the leaders of the NFF who she said for the first time facilitated a training and capacity building programme for Nigeria’s women football coaches.

    “The second FIFA Member Association Elite Course for referees, referee instructors and physical fitness instructors, just ended in Abuja, and we’ve just witnessed the first-ever FIFA Women Coaching Seminar. These are part of several high-profile coaching clinics and refereeing courses that the Aminu Maigari administration attracted to Nigeria since coming into office two years ago”, Onyedinma noted.

    She urged the 25 women football coaches invited for the exercise out of which about 20 took part to maximize all the derivable benefits associated with the clinics and bring the knowledge to bear on the game.

    The NWLB boss however, called for more such programmes maintaining that if Nigeria must maintain its dominances of women football in Africa more emphasis should be placed on capacity building of technical personnel.

    Also speaking in the same vein, Coach Ngozi Okafor, who is handling FTC Queens FC of Abuja in the Nigeria Women League and was also among participants at the clinics said the clinics would in no small measure boost their level of productivity as a soccer coach handling women.

    Okafor noted that the FIFA instructor who conducted the clinic was quite resourceful and had really imparted in them modern coaching techniques by taking them through many new helpful coaching routings during the practical aspect of the workshop.

    Among other coaches that took part in the course were Ann Chiejine, who was first-choice goalkeeper for the Super Falcons at three FIFA World Cup finals, the 2000 Olympic Games and several African Women Championship finals, and Rita Nwadike, another former Super Falcons’ star who is Assistant Coach of the current Super Falcons’ squad.