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Tag: NFF President

  • We’ve paid match bonuses, allowances to Super Falcons – NFF President

    We’ve paid match bonuses, allowances to Super Falcons – NFF President

    The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has said that as at Friday last week, the match bonuses and allowances for the Super Falcons have been settled.

    The NFF President, Ibrahim Gusau disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja, when he appeared before the House Adhoc committee investigating the dispute between the Super Falcons and NFF.

    Chairman of the Adhoc Committee, Blessing Onu, queried the unpaid allowances for the Super Falcons in 2019 FIFA women’s world cup.

    Gusau explained that no funding was released for participation but that in the 2023 FiFA women’s world cup hosted by Australia and New Zealand $960,000 was given to all 32 countries that qualified.

    According to him, this preparation money provided by FIFA is to be used by this countries to prepare the teams for the world cup.

    “We can’t use this money to pay outstanding allowances for 2019 FIFA women’s world cup”, he said.

    Rep. Onu had earlier questioned how the NFF was able to fund the Super Falcons in the 2019 FIFA women’s world cup hosted by France.

    Hon. Onu who was not satisfied with the NFF response, further ruled that the document of how the Super Falcons were funded in the 2019 FIFA women’s world cup, the breakdown of match bonuses payments and its slips for 23 players and the coaching crew be provided by NFF before 30th August, 2023.

    Going by the ad-hoc Committee’s findings on how the NFF is being funded, the NFF President revealed that they usually get funded by CAF and FIFA.

    Speaking further, the NFF noted that no payment is being gotten from the federal government for its staff and officials rather the federation gets its operational cost from FIFA.

    “The Confederation of African Football (CAF) provides $250,000 per annum as subvention fund”, said the NFF President.

  • Nigeria vs Costa Rica: Gusau charges Eagles to go for victory

    Nigeria vs Costa Rica: Gusau charges Eagles to go for victory

    President of Nigeria Football Federation, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau has told the Super Eagles to go for victory as the team is set to take on World Cup-bound Costa Rica in a friendly game in San Jose in the early hours of Thursday.

    The President made the call on Tuesday night (Wednesday morning in Nigeria) shortly after the team’s lunch at the Intercontinental Hotel in San Jose, Costa Rica.

    Gusau, who spoke through the leader of delegation and NFF Executive Committee Member, Otunba Sunday Dele-Ajayi further called on the Super Eagles to be worthy ambassadors of the nation as he vowed that the NFF Executive Committee under his watch will not relent in its quest to reposition Nigeria Football.

    “I am delivering this goodwill message on behalf of the NFF President. Mr. President is wishing the team the best of luck in tomorrow’s game against Costa Rica.

    “It is pertinent for you to note that Nigerians are result-oriented and they want the team to always have a good outing in every match, friendly or competitive.

    “It is a friendly game but at the same time, we want to win.”

    The Super Eagles of Nigeria will battle the World Cup-bound Los Ticos at the Estadio Nacional in San Jose as from 8pm local time on Wednesday (3am Thursday in Nigeria).

  • Gusau meets club owners, seeks better-packaged, more fruitful NPFL

    Gusau meets club owners, seeks better-packaged, more fruitful NPFL

    The urgent need to institute a better –packaged, fulfilling and more fruitful Nigeria Professional Football League that will germinate a more beneficial football economy for all stakeholders was the crux of a meeting on Monday which the President of Nigeria Football Federation, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau had with owners of clubs in the elite League.

    In attendance were 13 of the club owners, with former Nigeria Football supremo Alhaji Ibrahim Galadima representing Kano Pillars and Nasarawa United boss, Barr. Isaac Danladi on seat as Chairman of the club owners.

    Also at the very important meeting with the NFF President were Elder Paul Bassey (Akwa United FC); Adamu Aliyu Mohammed (Niger Tornadoes FC); Coach Amehi Dickson (Dakkada FC); Promise Nwachukwu (Heartland FC); Ferdinand Emeka (Rangers Int’l FC): Prince Tunde Ogunja (Sunshine Stars); Rt. Hon. Tunde Olaniyan (Shooting Stars FC); Abubakar Abubakar (Gombe United FC); Mr. Dominic Iorfa (Lobi Stars FC); Mr. Jude Anyadufu (Enyimba FC) and Alhaji Abdulsamad Badama (Katsina United FC).

    Representatives of Rivers United, Kwara United, Plateau United and Wikki Tourists were absent with apologies.

    NFF’s Deputy General Secretary, Dr. Emmanuel Ikpeme and Ag. Director of Legal, Barr. Okey Obi were part of the deliberations.

    Resolutions:

    1) The Club Owners unanimously congratulated the new NFF President, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau and Members of his Board and pledged total support to the Board on any steps it will take to ensure that the Nigeria Professional Football League really begins to live up to the name of a professional league in every sense of the word.

    2) The Club Owners collectively maintained that the NPFL has suffered serious problems in the past six years and identified the following areas:

    1. a) Lack of Sponsorship
    2. b) No TV Broadcast
    3. c) Poor Officiating
    4. d) Insufficient Funding
    5. d) Lack of Match Integrity
    6. e) Poor remuneration of match officials and huge indebtedness in this area
    7. f) Matches won on the basis of Highest Bidder
    8. g) Poor Infrastructure
    9. h) Incompetent Administrators
    10. i) No prize money for winners and/or failure to honour same, et cetera

    3) The Club Owners charged the NFF President and his Board to critically look into the aforementioned areas of concern and restructure the Nigeria Professional Football League in line with international best practices.

    4) They called on the NFF President to set up a small committee of football experts to look into the former League Management Committee (LMC) and the current Interim Management Committee (IMC) and come up with a functional governance structure to drive the NPFL for the good and development of football in Nigeria and for the benefit of all major football stakeholders.

    5) The Club Owners appealed to the NFF President to inaugurate the present IMC as appointed by the Federal Government through the Honourable Minister for Youth and Sports Development, Mr. Sunday Dare but with a short tenure.

  • India 2021: Gusau charges Flamingos to clinch quarter-final ticket against Chile

    India 2021: Gusau charges Flamingos to clinch quarter-final ticket against Chile

    President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau is confident that Nigeria’s U17 Girls, Flamingos will reach the quarter-finals of the ongoing FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup in India on Monday.

    The Flamingos are up against South American side, Chile inside the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar as from noon Nigeria time on Monday (4pm in India). Both teams have three points each but Africa’s best team boasts superior goals tally and will qualify if the game ends in a stalemate.

    “Even though we need a draw to qualify, I have told the technical crew and the players to work hard for a win in order to sustain their winning mentality. That element is crucial for a team at this point in the tournament. Winning mentality ensures that you want to go for it no matter the situation or condition.

    “They did well to get the goals against New Zealand but we need these three points as well so that the message can go out to our quarter-finals opponents that we mean serious business.”

    The 4-0 win over New Zealand took the Flamingos to three points and plus three goals advantage, while their 6-0 thumping by group leaders Germany meant the Chileans remained on three points and with minus four goals.

    Head Coach Bankole Olowookere has assured that his girls will not take their feet off the pedal against the South Americans.

    “We are ready for another three points. We had a good win over New Zealand but I’m not happy we lost so many scoring chances. We cannot afford to do that against Chile.

    “We are very focused because nothing has been won yet. It is another game in which we must give our very best and ensure we get a win.”

  • Meet the new NFF President, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau

    Meet the new NFF President, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau

    Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau was on Friday elected the new President of Nigeria Football Federation, he succeeded

    Amaju Melvin Pinnick who served two terms of eight years.

    Gusau was elected at NFF’s 78th Elective Congress, which was held in Benin, Edo State.

    He polled 21 votes to beat his closest challenger, Barrister Seyi Akinwunmi, who got 12 votes.

    Gusau replaces Amaju Melvin Pinnick, who was the former President of the NFF for eight years.

    Here are some of the things you need to know about the new NFF president who is expected to lead the football federation for the next four years.

    The 58 –year old Gusau is a qualified accountant and a Safety and Security Officer for the Confederation of African Football.

    Gusau was a former minister for Agriculture and Industries.

    He contested the primaries of the gubernatorial seat of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) in 1983 but lost to the incumbent Garba Nadama.

    Gusau is a member of the Sokoto Sultanate council with the title of Sarkin Malamai and was a member of the 1977 and 1995 Constitutional Assembly.

    He was the National Chairman of the United Nigeria Congress (UNC) which merged with the United Nigeria Party (UNP) and Solidarity Group of Nigeria (SGN) to form the United Nigeria Congress Party (UNCP) during the Sani Abacha transition program.

    Until Friday afternoon, debonair Gusau was Chairman of Chairmen of Nigeria Football, and also Chairman of the Zamfara State Football Association. He defeated Barrister Seyi Akinwunmi, who until Friday afternoon was the NFF’s 1st Vice President, by polling 21 votes to Akinwunmi’s 12 in the first round.

  • NFF President Amaju Pinnick, denies attacking Buhari, Dare

    NFF President Amaju Pinnick, denies attacking Buhari, Dare

    President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Mr Amaju Melvin Pinnick on Tuesday expressed shock at a report in a section of the media, which claimed that he had attacked the President and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces, President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR and the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Hon. Sunday Dare over a perceived aspiration for a third term as President of the NFF.

     In a report apparently syndicated but poorly-articulated and highly unprofessional, the FIFA Council Member was alleged to be on a “spending spree” in the media to “tarnish the image of the Minister and also undermine Mr President’s authority to speak about Nigerian football,” without any instance given or any quote attributed to Mr Pinnick.

     “This is a clear case of a dirty campaign. I have never given any interview or motivated any media person to write anything about the President’s directives or to insult the Honourable Minister. As I speak, we are making arrangements to hold the Annual General Assembly once the court communicates to our attorney the Notice of Discontinuance of the two cases that have been delaying the convocation of the Congress.

     “I could have kept quiet over this kind of silly campaign but it is important to put the record straight and also, I have the highest regards for the person of His Excellency, President Buhari, the Government and its institutions. This is a hatchet job, and such can always happen in political times. The campaigners have failed woefully.”

     Pinnick, who is at the ongoing Women Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, said he is ready to return fire for fire with purveyors of falsehood and half truths, whether they operate day or night, or on legacy or social media.

     “It is time to give it in full measure to those who hawk blatant falsehood and spend their days and nights planning evil. It will no longer be business as usual.

     “President Buhari has remained an amazing father and lover of Nigeria Football and the National Teams. None of these dirty campaigns by disgruntled persons and haters can have any impact.”

  • Morocco 2022: Pinnick charges Super Falcons to go all out for La Decima

    President of the Nigeria Football Federation and FIFA Council Member, Mr Amaju Melvin Pinnick has told the Super Falcons of Nigeria to bulldoze their way to a 10th African title when they participate in the 12th Women Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco next month.

     Pinnick spoke on Sunday night while hosting the nine-time champions to a special dinner at the Eko Hotel & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.

     “There is not much for me tell you about the need to go all out there and conquer; it is something you are used to because you have the spirit, the energy and the aura of champions. You have won this trophy nine times out of 11 and you have to go for the 10th with equal passion and desire.

     “Surely, there will be teams that would believe they can topple you from your throne; from your position as champions. I have no doubt that you have the capacity to deal with every opposition and emerge champions once more.”

     Pinnick’s dinner guests included NFF Executive Committee Member and Chairman of the Nigeria Women Football League, Ms Aisha Falode; Head Coach Randy Waldrum and his assistants; 25 players and; Super Falcons’ backroom staff.

     Meanwhile, the Super Falcons’ contingent has landed in Casablanca, and already moved to Morocco’s administrative capital, Rabat where the team will camp for seven days before their crunch opening match of Group C against South Africa’s Banyana Banyana in the same city on Monday, 4th July.

     The Falcons will also play Botswana (Thursday, 7th July) and Burundi (Sunday, 10th July) in the group phase.

     All four semi-finalists in Morocco will qualify to represent Africa at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia & New Zealand next year, with the fifth-placed team handed an opportunity to also gain a place through a Playoff Tournament taking place early next year.

     

     

  • BREAKING: NFF President, Amaju Pinnick declared eligible for FIFA Council Membership

    BREAKING: NFF President, Amaju Pinnick declared eligible for FIFA Council Membership

    A FIFA committee has declared the President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Amaju Pinnick, eligible for membership of the FIFA council.

    In November 2020, Pinnick announced his intention to vie for a seat on the FIFA council following speculations that he will throw his hat in the ring for the next Confederation of African Football (CAF) presidency.

    More details later…