The Nation Newspaper

Tag: World Cup 2014

  • World Cup: NFA budgets N2.08bn for Super Eagles

    World Cup: NFA budgets N2.08bn for Super Eagles

    The Nigeria Football Association (NFA) said on Monday that it had budgeted N2.08 billion for preparation and participation of Super Eagles in FIFA World Cup 2014 tournament in Brazil.

    Musa Amadu, the Secretary-General of NFA, said this while defending the association’s budget before the House of Representatives Committee on Sports in Abuja.

    Amadu said the amount included the N1. 25billion grants from the Federal Government.

    The NFA scribe, who also defended the football house’s financial estimation for 2014, said the N829.89million deficit would be sourced elsewhere to make-up for the government’s grant.

    A breakdown of the estimate showed that each Super Eagles player would pocket about $107,500 as winning bonus, if the team goes all the way to lift the World Cup.

    Head Coach Stephen Keshi would receive $215,000 as winning bonus if his team lifts the coveted trophy.

    Further breakdown showed that each player would get $10,000 for the three matches in the first round, while the Head Coach would get $20,000.

    The round of 16 would see each player’s bonus increased to $12,500; $15,000 would be for a quarterfinal win and $20,000 for the semi-final victory.

    Also, $30, 000 would go to each of them for winning the final match, while the head coach would earn double of whatever accrued to the players.

    Three Super Eagles Assistant coaches, team Doctor, Physiotherapist, Welfare Officer as well as Secretary would receive different amounts as winning bonus

    Others to benefit from the winning bonus include the Psychologist, Media Officer, team Security Officer, Match Analyst and Equipment Manager.

    Another budget of $204,000 was made to cater for five former Sports Ministers and five former NFA Chairmen and Secretaries, while $800,000 was budgeted for 10 Nigerian artistes.

    Godfrey Gaiya, Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Sports commended the leadership of the NFA for the successes achieved so far in football.

    He assured the NFA that all hands would be on deck to ensure the deficit of over N800 million was sourced before the start of the World cup on June 12.

    “I have always assured Nigerians that funding for our football should not be seen as a problem.

    “We have a president that is sensitive to this sector and he has said so time without number that they should make their preparation.

    “You can see that there is a grant for the world cup outside the NFA’s main budget and that grant is a proposal.

    “The moment we go beyond the round of 16, certainly more money will be given,’’ Gaiya said.

    The National Institute for Sports (NIS), led by its Director, Dr Sunny Ikhioya, was among the sports agencies that defended its budget proposal.

    Ikhioya told the committee that it was regrettable that the institute got only N484.17million as `envelope’ for its 2014 activities as against N556.91million for 2013.

    He said that poor funding had always been the bane of sports development in the country especially in the area of training of coaches and sports administrators.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that all the agencies under the National Sports Commission (NSC) had their budgets approved by the committee.

    This was done in honour of the NSC Director-General, Gbenga Elegbeleye who was a Deputy Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Sports.

  • Eagles World Cup list out May 13

    Eagles World Cup list out May 13

    Officials have told MTNFootball.com that Stephen Keshi will beat the FIFA May 13 deadline for the submission of a provisional World Cup squad.

    “The provisional squad for the World Cup will be the squad for the May 28 friendly against Scotland in London and that would mean it will be made public before the May 13 deadline for the submission of provisional squads by World Cup finalists,” an official informed MTNFootball.com

    It is left to be seen whether skipper Joseph Yobo will be retained on the squad after injury stopped him from making the recent warm-up against Mexico.

    Another player who could well miss out is Villarreal striker Ike Uche, who Keshi said is not tactically disciplined as he wants to play his own way while with the national team.

    Both Uche and his club officials have since countered Keshi’s claims.

    It will be interesting to see if Osaze Odemwingie would be recalled and how many players from the domestic league will be part of the World Cup rehearsals to begin with.

    The squad will from London fly out to Houston, Texas, from where they will play two more warm-up games against United States of America and Greece before they depart for Brazil on June 11.

  • Eagles to wear World Cup jersey against Mexico

    Eagles to wear World Cup jersey against Mexico

    Super Eagles will wear the specially designed World Cup kits in next Wednesday’s international friendly against Mexico.

    “There is uniqueness about the new jersey that Nigerians will love. The design is a top-of-the-range thing, especially for the FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014,” MTNFootball.com quoted Nigeria Football Federation general secretary, Musa Amadu, as saying on Wednesday.

    The NFF will unveil the new jersey at a ceremony in Abuja on Thursday.

    Super Eagles players Chigozie Agbim, midfielder Abdullahi Shehu and striker Ejike Uzoenyi will showcase the new kits at the occasion.

    The new and refreshing design is produced by Adidas, the official kit supplier of Nigeria national teams and the leading kit manufacturers in the world.

    Minister of Sports, Bolaji Abdullahi will be the special guest of honour at the event slated for the front area of the Sunday Dankaro Football House, Package B of the National Stadium Complex, Abuja, from 10am.

    Also invited are Director General of the National Sports Commission, Gbenga Elegbeley; Chairman of the Senate Committee on Sports, Adamu Gumba; Chairman of the House of Reps’ Committee on Sports, Godfrey Gaiya; Chairman of the League Management Company, Nduka Irabor; President-General of Nigeria Football Supporters Club, Rafiu Oladipo and other prominent football figures.

     

     

  • 2014 World Cup gets security boost

    2014 World Cup gets security boost

    Brazil has announced a security boost of around 70,000 officers to police this year’s FIFA World Cup, the BBC reports.

    In total, 170,000 people are expected to be deployed to guarantee security across the 12 host cities.

    On Wednesday, President Dilma Rousseff said the armed forces could also be brought in if needed.

    Since last June, protesters have staged a number of street marches, with some violent episodes, raising concerns about security at the tournament.

    Earlier this month, a cameraman died after being hit by fireworks apparently launched by protesters.

    In January, the organisers had suggested the tournament’s security personnel would total 100,000 people.

    But at a security workshop on Thursday, the organising committee said this figure should be increased.

    “We have a lot of concerns, not so much about protests which are a democratic right, but rather about potential violence. We are committed to preventing violence during any protest activity,” a Justice Ministry official, Andrei Rodrigues, told reporters.

    Around 150,000 personnel will be from the armed services and police.

    But an extra 20,000 security stewards will be trained to work inside the 12 stadiums of the tournament, organisers say.

    Also on Thursday, Brazil launched its first naval preparatory exercise ahead of the World Cup.

     

  • World Cup 2014: Nigeria are dark horses — Amokachi

    World Cup 2014: Nigeria are dark horses — Amokachi

    Nigeria assistant coach Daniel Amokachi says there is a togetherness in the squad that makes them “dark horses” for success at the World Cup in Brazil.

    “That ego that has always been in the team has been eradicated,” Amokachi told the BBC World Service.

    “Everybody has love for one another and that’s showing on the pitch. The unity in the team has been the key to our success in the last year.

    “We’re going to the World Cup to get something out of it.”

    Amokachi is confident the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations champions, who will face Argentina, Bosnia-Hercegovina and Iran and in Group F, can go further than any Super Eagles squad has been before in the tournament.

    Nigeria have made it out of the group stage only twice in their four appearances at the finals – losing in the next round on both occasions – and Amokachi has urged the team to be more ambitious.

    “As far as you are a coach or a team you go to a tournament to win it,” added the former striker, who won 44 caps for Nigeria and spent two years at English club, Everton.

    “Nigeria are one of the underdogs but probably we’ll be one of the dark horses along with the likes of Colombia and Belgium.

    “Coach Stephen Keshi has the same ambitions as myself and we think alike – you don’t set a target saying I want to get to the second round or the quarter-final or the semi-final, we go there to work hard and in football anything can happen.

    “We could meet a team like Brazil and they have a bad day and we end up beating them.

    “We’re going to take it a game at a time but we’ll look forward to spending the whole month in Brazil.”

    Some of Nigeria’s key squad members like Emmanuel Emenike and Victor Moses missed the Confederations Cup in Brazil last year because of injury and Amokachi is hoping they’ll have a fully fit squad for the tournament which runs from 12 June to 13 July.

    “Emenike is a striker that can’t stop scoring goals right now but it’s not just about Emenike, it’s about the team,” he said.

    “We want all the key players to be out there, not just the Nigerians.

    “We want the World Cup to be exciting – we don’t want a tournament without Lionel Messi, Wayne Rooney or Cristiano Ronaldo. We pray that they keep fit.”

    Nigeria’s first match of the tournament will be against Iran in Curitiba on 16 June.

    Amokachi believes they are in a tough group and insists they won’t be underestimating any of their opponents.

    “When the draw came out, a lot of Nigerians were really excited thinking it would be an easy ride. Definitely not,” he said.

    “Argentina are on fire. Bosnia are one country in Europe that probably had an easy ride in qualification, but with the firepower they have in attack you can never rule them out.

    “Iran is a country that have shown they can play football and for them to qualify for the World Cup, you can’t take them lightly.

    “Any country that is in the World Cup we should respect the way they play and just stick to our own task and business and get the job done.

    “We know the spirit that we have in the team right now and everyone’s looking forward to it.”

  • Three killed as World Cup stadium collapses

    Three killed as World Cup stadium collapses

    No fewer than three people have been reported killed after a crane collapsed at the Arena Corinthians in Sao Paulo — the stadium will host the tournament’s first game.

    The incident occurred on Thursday, damaging three huge metallic parts of the ground and destroying part of the stadium’s structure.

    A construction worker at the site who asked not to be identified told Goal: “I was a little far from the place of the accident, but what I know is that that would’ve been the last piece to be installed in the stadium structure. We were lucky that several workers weren’t there at the moment, because it happened during our lunch break.”

    “The structure fell and initiated a cascade effect. We felt a strong tremor and that’s worrisome. It could’ve affected other structures.

    “I’m really sad. Some of the Corinthians’ fans are also here, around the stadium, and they are crying with what happened. I’m a Corinthians fan and I know how passionate we are, but the most important thing is the lives of the people.

    “I believe we could have more fatal victims in the next hours. What the guys around here are talking is that there are at least four people dead.”