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Fri, Sep

President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday night rewarded members of the bronze-winning Eagles of the 2014 African Nations Championship, at a dinner in Abuja held in their honour.

Jonathan commended the team for raising the nation’s flag with pride t the tournament, and announced a donation of N1m for each players and N1.5m for the coach. The assistant coaches also got N1m each, while other classes of team officials received N500,000 each.

“I am delighted to receive the Super Eagles of Nigeria, who did the nation proud with their brilliant performance at the recently concluded 2014 Orange Africa Nations Championship (CHAN) in South Africa”, the president said.

“The team’s impressive performance adds to a memorable season for Nigerian football, starting with victories at both the 2013 African Cup of Nations and the FIFA Under-17 World Cup competitions.

“I am particularly proud of this team, which, even though they placed 3rd at the championship, exhibited an uncommon degree of resilience, discipline, commitment and patriotism throughout the competition.  This is even more noteworthy considering that this is the first time that Nigeria is qualifying for this particular championship. 

“My dear Super Eagles, I keenly followed your performance from the group stage up to the last third-place match.  I noted that you epitomized the true never-say-die Nigerian spirit, especially in the match against Morocco’s Atlas Lions where you came from a three-goal deficit to win the match against all expectations.

“You may not have won the championship, but you performed gallantly, competed fairly and made all Nigerians proud.  You also produced the tournament’s Most Valuable Player and, today, some of you are being sought after by renowned football clubs around the world.  As the coach has confirmed, some of you may make our team to the FIFA World Cup in June this year. 

Jonathan noted that their exploits at the championship further demonstrated the fact that the efforts being put into rebranding and reinvigorating the Nigerian Football League are yielding positive results.  While admitting that there is still much more work to be done, he observed that it is gratifying to note that, today, the Nigerian league is ranked among the best in Africa. 

“On behalf of all Nigerians, I would like to specially congratulate each and every member of the team for your remarkable achievement.  The glory and honour which you have brought our fatherland is greatly appreciated. You are a credit to Nigeria, your Clubs, and your families”, he continued.

 

“Let me encourage you all to remain committed. To take your game to greater heights, you must not forgo the discipline and all other qualities you displayed and the experience and exposure you have gained from the competition.

“Let me also commend the technical team for their dedication in preparing this team for this commendable result. It is evident that we are reaping the dividends of our investments in the sports sector.  

“The Supporters Club deserves special commendation for the unflagging inspiration they continue to provide our national teams. I will like to seize this opportunity to assure you all that our Administration will continue to give maximum support to our sportsmen and women to enable them optimally realize their potentials for excellence on the international stage

“Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, as a token of our appreciation for the heroic efforts of these gallant patriots, we have decided to reward them as follows: 

i.                   Players                                        -       N1,000,000 each

ii.                Head Coach                                -       N1,500.000

iii.              The 3 Assistant coaches            -       N1,000,000 each

iv.             Team Secretary                          -       N500,000

v.                Team Doctor                               -       N500,000

vi.             Team Physiotherapist                 -       N500,000

vii.           Chief Technical Officer               -       N500,000

viii. Team Coordinator                       -       N500,000

ix.  Team Media Officer                    -       N500,000

x.   Curator                     -       N500,000

  

“Congratulations our Super Eagles. Thank you 

Human rights lawyer, Festus Keyamo has described reports of plans by the National Football Federation (NFF) to hire a foreign technical assistant for the Super Eagles ahead of the 2014 FIFA World Cup as unpatriotic, untenable, illogical and consequently unacceptable to Nigerians.

In a statement released on Tuesday, he argued that Nigerians cannot be swayed or fooled by the reported decision of the NFF that Stephen Keshi will remain the Head Coach of the Super Eagles while the foreigner will merely assist him. Describing the move as nothing but a smoke screen to execute the hidden agenda of the NFF, he listed a number of reasons.

“When Lars Lagerback was brought in as a technical adviser five months to our 2010 World Cup preparation, he did nothing but to break up the bond the team had created, lowered the morale of the indigenous coaches and players (who never worked with him) and that led to our disastrous outing at the World Cup in South Africa”, he said.

“In addition to that, the issues of corruption surrounding the hiring of his services have not been properly addressed till today. After initially negotiating the sum of $500,000 with Lars Lagerback (i.e $100,000per month for 5 months), the bill overnight jumped to $1.5Million(for three months) with Nigeria even paying his taxes. Those who did that damage to the country were never brought to book and the issue was swept under the carpet. Now, it is obvious that certain corrupt characters want to cash in again on the issue of a foreign technical adviser.

“The state of our football before Stephen Keshi and his crew took over was that we even failed to qualify for the 2012 Nations’ Cup and the team was in disarray. Sponsors abandoned the team. Now, nearly two years later, we have won the Nations’ Cup, qualified for the World Cup, took bronze at CHAN, and raised a bunch of local boys that can easily walk into the main Super Eagles. If that is not progress, then I don’t know the definition of progress. Now, the sponsors are back and Nigerians are again watching their team with some hope. Instead of encouraging the coaching crew, the imposition of a foreigner in their midst will lower their morale, blunt their patriotism and kill the spirit in the team. This should never be allowed to happen”.

Keyam punctured NFF’s position that the CHAN Eagles could not break down 10-man Black Stars of Ghana as very puerile, saying examples abound all over the world where 10-man team reverts to defensive roles and frustrates the opposing team.

“The greatest teams in the world have lost to 10-man defensive teams, for example Barcelona (at its peak) did not get the required two goals against Inter Milan in the semi-finals of the Champions’ League in 2010 despite playing nearly 70 minutes against a 10-man Inter Milan side”, he added.

“A third-place finish for the CHAN team hurriedly assembled six weeks to the tournament is not a bad result, considering the fact that the other leagues in Africa are even better organized than the Nigerian Premier League. Stephen Keshi, the head coach, has said it repeatedly that he does not need a foreign technical adviser.

“Since Keshi is supposed to remain the head of the team, what is the use imposing a technical adviser on him that he is not prepared to consult? Is that not the waste of public funds? All over the world, managers of teams are allowed to choose their back room staff. Stephen Keshi has said if he needs an assistant, it will be Sylvanus Okpala. So, why not bury the hatchet with Sylvanus Okpala for the good of the team? Are we going to allow ego wars to destroy the Super Eagles? Again, from where will the money come to fund the foreign adviser, when the NFF complain it had no money to even pay the local assistant, Sylvanus Okpala?

“This decision cannot just stand. I am appealing to all well-meaning Nigerians, sport enthusiasts, patriots and the sports community in Nigeria to oppose this decision. This is the same attitude of the NFF that led to the unjust dropping of Shaibu Amodu, who twice qualified Nigeria for the World Cup, but was not allowed to lead the team to the Mundial. We cannot continue to destroy our own because of corruption.

“The plain truth is that the decision of the NFF is borne out of corruption and the need to cut Keshi down to size. The NFF is allowing selfishness to destroy our football. If the decision is not rescinded, I will be reaching out to anti-corruption groups and the sports community to march on [to] the Glass House in Abuja”.

President Goodluck Jonathan (GCFR) has approved the concession of the National Stadium in Lagos.

According to Special Assistant on Media and Strategy to Honourable Minister for Sports, Julius Ogunro, the approval was granted last week.

With the approval, the Honourable Minister of Sports, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi will constitute the Project Steering Committee and the Project Delivery Committee, which will liaise with the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) to draw up modalities for the concessioning.

The Federal Executive Council set up a committee in September 2012 to look into the mode of maintenance of federal stadia and to develop a sustainable funding framework for sports in general.

That committee in turn set up a technical sub-committee, which would in collaboration with the Bureau of Public and Enterprise (BPE) and Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), recommend the most viable option for the maintenance of the six federal stadia.

The Technical Sub-Committee recommended the involvement of private sector participation in the management and operations of the stadia with concessioning as the preferred and most sustainable approach. It also recommended that the concession of the federal stadia should start with Nation al Stadium, Lagos.

Ogunro also confirmed that further announcements concerning the commencement of the process would be made soon.

Once upon a time, life was very valuable and cherished with minimalist tendencies, if any. Humans, animals, birds and other visible creatures roam free except for occasional predatory snipers. Yes, life was good back then because now predators are not snipers in hideout rather are in your face with knowledge that your family is watching their atrocities. Bondage I say, but God will help us out.

Case for Special Sports

The above is simply a graphic metaphor to drive home the plight of an ordinary athlete facing the continual degradation, assaults, threats and all other unbecoming conducts of so-called officials. Of course the National Sports Commission (NSC) in its (constant) sleep maintains a nonchalant attitude or ignorance towards any of such behaviors even in the event that well-meaning individuals confront it with mountainous evidences. This writer fears for the life of average special sports athlete because they keep the country image alive in all sports than our able-bodied at least for the time being.

The key point to note is that an able-bodied can seek and obtains necessary support even though may not be adequate or enough, but special sports’ athletes usually got nothing! A noted circumstance in the media recently concern an individual named Shehu Isa, who is a physically challenged individual who peddles some legitimate products at the Airport in Lagos just as other individuals. They were all driven out due to reconstruction without compensation. On the surface of this, average Nigerian will not have a problem with this scenario but a learned person will see a big discrimination written all over it for adverse effect on the physically challenged retailers. Mr. Isa cannot find alternative means of earning elsewhere and significant level owners of shops do discriminate against anyone without their physical character including physically challenged.

At no time has NSC ever declared publicly its intention to fund any special sports athlete welfare as opposed to other athletes. Furthermore, the rate of accolades given to the Sydney Olympics medalist, Blessing Okagbare and many individuals that have nothing to do with her, Coaches and other entourages though as pointed out by the majority of Nigerians as well deserved but can anyone articulate whether such praises ever gone to the families and so-called entourages of our London Olympics Paralympics GOLD MEDALISTS. To this writer, the policy of unequal treatment of the effect of a decision is discriminatory and in fact legally unsound.

The country is endowed with highly skilled legal advisers to His Excellency Mr. Goodluck Jonathan that this writer is in pain to understand how the country cannot see this adverse treatment. Good intention but bad delivery, justifying a need to slap someone silly.

The country special sports’ athletes need the nation right now before next Olympics and in some quarters some of them are already contemplating dumping the country just as other individuals.

 

New Year, New Beginning

When the media shout brain drain as reasons for the shortage of doctors but the NSC or sports officials cannot comprehend that such acknowledged phenomenon cut across all professions including sports. Again, certain states are doing their part to keep Nigerian athletes at home which is commendable and of course it is necessary to name such states, they are Delta, Lagos, Kano, Cross Rivers, Imo, Abia and a few others not in the media like Jigawa, Zamfara, Plateau. Some states strategically never announced publicly what they are doing, so it’s very difficult to suggest they are not doing anything because the results of the performances of their athletes in junior competitions were commendable. Good journalists are aware of what many states doing and that some are doing all they can for the athletes while mediocre writers are focused on propaganda for just one state simply because that state funds some of their travels and extends some monetary gains to them. This writer knows them well (however these words are interpreted).

The country must now focus on the athletes, key suggestions include:

1. Funding identified elite athletes directly from the Finance Ministry;

2. Funding local community area sports facilities directly from Finance Ministry / Public works;

3. Funding School sports program (PE aspects of the school curriculum) directly from the Education Ministry;

4. NIS must be merged with the Education Ministry;

5. The Federal Sports Facilities upgrade must be downloaded from the NSC responsibility to the Public Works mandate;

6. If the NSC is to remain a commission then at least SIX COMMISSIONERS MUST BE APPOINTED.

Political Calculation and Speculations

A news report that is essentially a propaganda tool by NSC advocating for the wreckers of sports in Nigeria to retain their political appointments as Minister, Director-General, etc. by some individuals calling themselves stakeholders headed by an individual from National Schools federations who said in advance of the President dumping Mr. Bolaji Abdullahi as Sports Minister, claimed the country needs continuity of ‘mediocrity’ where a small country like Kenya has more relevance internationally than Nigeria. To that, Mr. Mohammed (the writer believes) you are dead wrong, the country needs a rebirth in Sports where the focus is athletes not perambulators, incompetence, archaic equipment, foolish spending, duplicate agenda, weak leadership, a commission without commissioners and illegal operations.

Sani Ndanusa, the former Sports Minister and Tennis federation imposed leader also entered the propaganda bandwagon without shame. Tennis is the worst sport in Nigeria in terms of all categories of quantification whether equipment, facilities, athletes’ performance or relevance in discussion in Nigeria and Mr. Ndanusa has led this sports federation for almost 30years but yet no one is saying that his time is up not even the successive sports Ministers including the incumbent. This is really sad, where are the former ace Sadiq Abdullahi, Nduka Odizor, etc.? Those former stars ought to be ashamed of themselves for not intervening as handballers and footballers are doing just as this writer. These guys are PhD holders and some of them are respected lawyers and this writer simply can’t understand why the silence or support of sports Minister not even showing any bit of concern for Tennis.

To add further insults to Nigerians, Mr. Elegbeleye, the so-called Director-General also threw accolades to his Excellency for a job well done and this writer can then ask if Mr. President is the one doing the job, then why is the country paying Mr. Elegbeleye?

Clearly, these individuals are simply licking you know what and cannot be taken seriously. As usual, Mr. Abdullahi is AWOL in this propaganda campaign because he is now in the precarious situation of political loyalty logjam and that’s the reason of having others do the bidding for him. The writer believes the balcony closed long time ago but the replacement is another conundrum.

The Main Atrocities of NSC in 2013

NSC seized the athletics federation (AFN) control with imposing its leaders by fraudulent election process, hiring its’ coach and technical director, although it’s a welcome development for NSC to handle athlete's development but the commission cannot do that within AFN rather publicly remove all federations from sharing its own responsibility. Again good intention bad delivery, someone got to be slapped silly.

AFN lacked authority to meddle with athlete development according to the IAAF rules but in Nigeria NSC transferred such to AFN in violation IAAF standard of independence from the athletes or national government in return NSC determines AFN leadership by favoring people lacking any skill in such sport.

But the granddaddy of all NSC atrocities is the public advertorial, trips and announcement of the National Youth Games. Imagine, the sports Minister sought under-15 UK citizens by hosting a party in London at significant costs of his entourage including Mary Onyali, Elegbeleye and others rather than going to the thick forest of Abia, Enugu, Osun, Sokoto, Kano, Edo, etc. to seek under 15 talents at no cost (these states would have incurred the costs). And of course it was not reported that anyone of those UK Citizens showed up at the Youth Games and this writer is among those that demands the return of money wasted on estacode, accommodations, airline tickets (some first class), hall rental, food, drinks, etc.

Many more atrocities were chronicled by this writer throughout 2013 and in summary, Mr. Abdullahi tenure serves no purpose and a total waste of funds, therefore, he must go.

I rest for now.

Dr. Rashid A. Balogun, CPA, LLB(Hons.), LLM(London)

 

 

The International Federation of Football History and Statistics has rated the Nigerian football league, known as the Globacom Premier League, as the fourth strongest league on the continent for 2013.

It also rated the Spanish La Liga as the best in the world during the same period under review.

The Tunisian league was rated Africa’s best, followed by those of Egypt, Morocco and then Nigeria. Mali, South Africa, Algeria, Angola, Cameroon and Ghanaian held the other spots in the top ten.

Despite the loss of their two most powerful clubs in the semi-final of the year’s UEFA Champions League, La Liga was still voted the strongest league, while the English Premier League is ranked second. The German Bundesliga, which has the two finalists of the 2013 UEFA Champions Leagues in Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, was rated third best, beating off the Italian Serie A and the Brazilian league to fourth and fifth respectively.

 

Legendary Former AC Milan midfielder, Clarence Seedorf has announced his retirement from his lengthy playing career in order to assume the vacant coaching role at the San Siro side he served for a decade.

The Dutch veteran made more than 400 appearances over an impressive10 years with Milan, winning two Serie A and two UEFA Champions League titles. The 37-teay-old is expected to be named the new coach any moment, following Sunday’s sack of Massimiliano Allegri in the wake of a humbling 4-3 defeat to lowly Sassuolo.

 “I am here to announce that I will retire from playing after 22 years”, said Seedorf, who has been playing for Botafogo since 2012.

“I leave an improved club, especially in terms of their mentality and team spirit. Milan? We will meet again. This experience of the last year and a half has made me grow up a lot and will help me in my next step as coach of Milan, who have hired me in both an elegant and correct manner.

“I like challenges and coaching Milan will be another challenge in my career. I couldn't say no to Milan after having spent 10 years there”.

Seedorf also spoke on the difficulty of reaching the decision, as well as Brazil’s chances at summer’s World Cup.

“The sacking of Allegri was crucial to my decision. The call from [Adriano] Galliani only came yesterday. I want to travel to Milan today. If I don't make it, then I will travel tomorrow”, he said.

“I made the decision to join Milan today, but last night was a difficult night for me. But I made the right choice. I'm very happy about the opportunity Milan have given me and I'm very motivated”.

 On Brazil, he said: “I hope that Brazil can have a memorable World Cup and the national team can honour its colours. Thank you”.

Manchester City and Cote d’Ivoire midfielder Yaya Toure has been named the 2013 British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) African Footballer of the Year.

After being nominated for the fifth straight year but only winning it for the very first time, Yaya could not hide his delight at fending off competition from Gabonese Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Burkinabe Jonathan Pitroipa, and the Nigerian due of John obi Mikel and Victor Moses.

 “Thank you to all the fans around the world who continue to support me and who love me a lot”, BBC quoted Yaya as saying.

“I’m very proud; I’m very happ; this award is amazing. It’s the fifth time in a row and this time is very special”.

After Toure received the award at Manchester City’s Carrington training ground on Monday, Current Affairs Editor of BBC Africa, Vera Kwakofi spoke highly of the Ivoirian.

“We are pleased for Yaya Toure that he has finally won the BBC African Footballer of the Year on his fifth nomination for the award”, Vera said. “This shows the high esteem in which he is held by lovers of African football and the respect the fans have for his exploits for club and country”.

Toure is also in the running for the 2013 Confederation of African Football (CAF) African Footballer of the Year, an award he has won in the last two years. And should he win this time, he would have equalled Cameroonian Samuel Eto’o’s feat of winning in 2003, 2004 and 2005.

More Articles ...

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