The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on Monday released the names of coaching crews of all the national teams.
New coaches were not named for the senior men team (Super Eagles), U20 women (Falconets) and U17 women (Flamingos) because the contracts of their current handlers are running.
The chairman of the technical and development committee of the NFF, Yusuf Ahmed, told thenff.com that the appointments take effect immediately.
Ahmed, who is also vice chairman of the NFF Strategy Committee, said: “All the coaches will be unveiled at a later date, alongside the coaching crews of the U20 and U17 girls that were appointed earlier as a result of their World Cup qualifying campaigns.”
The coaches are as follows:
SUPER EAGLES B/OLYMPIC MEN TEAM: Salisu Yusuf (Head Coach); Imama Amapakabo; Kennedy Boboye; Fidelis Ilechukwu; Alloy Agu (Goalkeepers’ Trainer)
U20 MEN (FLYING EAGLES): Paul Aigbogun (Head Coach); Abdullahi Maikaba; Abubakar Bala; Hassan Abdallah (Scouting); Suleiman Shuaibu (Goalkeepers’ Trainer)
U17 BOYS TEAM (GOLDEN EAGLETS): Manu Garba (Head Coach); Nduka Ugbade; Jolomi Atune Ali; Bunmi Haruna (Scouting); Abideen Baruwa Olatunji (Goalkeepers’ Trainer)
U15 BOYS TEAM (FUTURE EAGLES): Alala Danladi Nasidi (Head Coach); Haruna Usman ‘Ilerika’; Ahmed Lawal Dankoli; Patrick Bassey (Scouting); Ernest Salolome (Goalkeepers’ Trainer)
U13 BOYS TEAM: Jolomi Atune Ali (Head Coach); Jude Agada; Abdullahi Umar Tyabo; Adewale Laloko (Scouting); Adeoye Onigbinde (Goalkeepers’ Trainer)
Mohammed Sanusi, General-Secretary of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), on Friday in Abuja said the federation was committed to creating an enabling platform for coaches to succeed.
Sanusi told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the success of coaches and football administrators were the priority of the federation.
He said that Nigeria’s football development could not be realised without the important role of coaches.
The scribe explained that the federation would not relent in promoting excellence in the handling of players.
“A coach’s role has a lot to do in the skill development of individual players and a team collectively.
“So, we are doing our best in giving coaches chances to improve and succeed which by extension impact on our football,’’ he said.
Sanusi, who urged Nigerian coaches to tap into the opportunities created by the federation, called for more support for Super Eagles’ coaches.
He said that the federation was determined to see that the Eagles excel in Russia.
According to him, we are not leaving anything behind to support our coaches.
The scribe expressed confidence in the Eagles, saying that both the coaching crew and players were in form.
He said the federation was optimistic that the team would come out stronger after the series of quality friendlies before the World Cup.
Nigeria’s Super Eagles will be playing friendlies against Poland on March 23 and England on June 2.
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on Thursday announced the appointment of a top Swedish football coach, Thomas Dennerby, to take the role of head coach of the Nigeria national women’s team, Super Falcons, the federation announced Thursday.
The contract allows Dennerby to come into the job with an assistant, Jorgen Petersson, who is a highly experienced Swedish coach nominated by Dennerby.
Dennerby, who spent nine years with Hammarby IF of Allsvesnkan and played in the European Cup in 1983 and 1985, won 34 caps for Swedish junior teams between 1975 and 1981.
He coached the Swedish Women’s Senior Team between 2005 and 2012, during which the team played at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics and the 2007 and 2011 FIFA World Cup finals, winning bronze at the later tournament.
He also served as youth coach for Stockholm FA and worked in various capacities for former club Hammarby between 1993 and 2001.
More recently, he did scouting and analyses for the Swedish FA at the 2013 and 2017 European Championships, the 2016 Olympics and the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Canada.
Petersson has worked with several top Swedish clubs including Moheda IF, Osters IF, Vaxjo, Alvesta Golf, IFK Varmamo, Malmo FF, Kalmar FF and Linkopings FC, was assistant coach of the Swedish U23 women team between 2006-2012 and scouted for the Swedish women national team at last year’s European Championship.
The appointment is in line with the pledge made by NFF president, Amaju Pinnick, to get a world –class coach to take the Super Falcons and other women national teams to the next level (of competing creditably and for laurels at global championships), and who would also work assiduously with the federation to ensure robust development of women football in Nigeria.
Pinnick expressed delight that the process had gone smoothly and assured the coaches of a conducive working environment to achieve the set milestones.
“The NFF decided to go for a coach of the calibre of Thomas Dennerby for three reasons: to sustain and enhance the Super Falcons’ dominance on the African scene; to take the Falcons and the other women teams to the next level of challenging for laurels at global competitions like the Olympics and the FIFA World Cup and; to generally lay the foundation for the real development of women’s football in our country,” Shehu Dikko, NFF 2nd Vice President/Chairman of Strategy, told thenff.com.
Dikko added: “Dennerby will live in Nigeria most of the time and support the other women teams whenever he has the time. The contract is until the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo in the initial, with the right for automatic renewal subject to meeting performance milestones as agreed. He will be in Nigeria very soon for the public unveiling.
“The NFF Technical and Development Committee has already shortlisted three Nigerians to work with Messrs Dennerby and Petersson as assistant coaches and goalkeeper trainer. These three will resume work soon to start preparing the team for the upcoming WAFU Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire pending the resumption of Dennerby and Petersson,” he said.
The three coaches who will work with Dennerby and Petersson will be announced soon.
The Nigeria Football Federation President, Amaju Pinnick has revealed that the country’s national female team, the Super Falcons will be busy in 2018.
The NFF boss has already confirmed that the reigning African Queens will play France in an international friendly on April 4, 2018.
Pinnick who refuted claims that the Federation has chosen to neglect the women team also disclosed that efforts are currently been intensified to get the Falcons another credible opponent during the free window when they are playing France.
“The France friendly billed for April is already confirmed, we have signed so everything is in place, we are also working to see if we can get another team so they can have something like a double-header.” The NFF boss disclosed.
The Super Falcons after their conquest at the last AWCON in 2016 were rendered inactive all through the outgoing 2017 year.
Mohammed Sanusi, the General Secretary of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), says the federation expects more commitment from the Super Eagles when they campaign at the Russia 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Sanusi told the NewsGuru in Abuja on Thursday that the football body expects nothing short of this from the team.
“What we expect from them is what they have been doing before, which is being committed to the job.
“They have shown a lot of commitment, revealing that they are ready to die for their country and that is why God assisted us to qualify for the World Cup with a match at hand.
“They have demonstrated that trust and commitment, showing that money is not everything.
“Even when the money was not there, they played without asking, not to talk of when there is money available.
“We are now hopeful that they will deliver at the bigger stage in Russia,’’ he said.
The NFF official also lauded the players for their dedication to the country.
Nigeria, who became the first African country to qualify for the 32-team mundial with a game to spare, is pitched in Group D alongside familiar foes Argentina, Iceland and Croatia.
A woman working as an intern in the Nigerian Football Federation has allegedly stolen $40,000 with the intention of returning the money after doubling it via voodoo.
The lady who allegedly stole the money and who is said to be a sister to an ex-president of the Nigeria Football Federation, picked four bundles of $10,000 and took to her heels leaving her handbag at the scene of the crime.
The lady whose name was not mentioned then handed the money to two men who assured her of doubling the money to $80,000 within 48 hours.
“Yes two middle aged men have been arrested in connection to the money theft at the NFF.
The men confessed to the Police of being money doublers and confirmed that the lady actually gave them the money to double for her”, a top source at the NFF said.
You would recall that the Nigeria football Federation is in huge debt as it continues to make plans and source for funds for the World Cup. And that only recently the Sports ministry said it needed N3billion ($8340000) to persecute next year’s World Cup.
You would also recall that this is not the first time money especially foreign currencies will go missing in the NFF. In March 2009, the accounts department of the NFF was broken into, and $200,000 was carted away from one of the drawers.
In 2012, $80,000 was alleged to have gone missing, but the NFF denied such ever happened. Ironically, the NFF is yet to issue an official statement since the latest incident happened.
American coach Randy Waldrum has turned down to offer to coach Nigeria’s senior women’s national team, Super Falcons.
The NFF had named the former Trinidad and Tobago gaffer as the technical adviser for the Super Falcons in October after his application for the job, and subsequent recommendation by the NFF technical committee, though subject to further negotiations.
It is the second time in 18 months an expatriate will reject a coaching offer from the NFF after Frenchman Paul Le Guen declined to handle the Super Eagles in June 2016.
However, reports say Waldrum has been named the head coach of the University of Pittsburgh women’s soccer team after the 61-year-old declined further negotiations.
“We are thrilled to announce Randy Waldrum as our head women’s soccer coach at the University of Pittsburgh,” said Pitt’s director of Athletics, Heather Lyke on the team’s website.
While confirming his acceptance, Waldrum said: “I would like to thank Heather Lyke for giving me this wonderful opportunity to lead the women’s soccer program at the University of Pittsburgh.”
The NFF were in communication with Waldrum and had expected the gaffer to land in Nigeria on Wednesday having sorted his flight and visa fees.
But on Tuesday, he suddenly wrote the NFF to communicate them on his new job with Pitt and no longer interest in the Nigerian offer.
Waldrum was former US U23 women coach and Trinidad and Tobago women’s coach for two years before he was relieved of his post. He also coached US National Women’s Soccer League side Houston Dash before he was sacked following a poor run of results.
Since Florence Omagbemi led the Super Falcons to African Women’s Cup of Nations glory in December 2016, the team are yet to regroup and since been without a substantive coach.
Football stakeholders in Nigeria hosted a dinner party in Lagos, yesterday, as part of the several ceremonies outlined in reception of the President, Confederation of African Football (CAF), Ahmad Ahmad .
The cozy event took place at the Lagos residence of the President of Nigerian Football Federation [NFF], Amaju Pinnick, in the evening, following CAF’s emergency meeting in Lagos, which outcome led to the emergence of Morocco as the host of 2018 African Nations Championship (CHAN), with Kenya stripped of same hosting rights for failing to provide facilities needed for the competition.
Throughout the night, Pinnik who coordinated the occasion [assisted by comedian, Bovi and singer, Darey Art Alade], thrilled guests with short jokes, karaoke and of course fetes them with sumptuous meals and drinks.
In the course of the event, CAF’s boss, Ahmad had a brief chat with TheNewsGuru.com, on his plans to improve the handling of football business in Africa.
Starting the conversations on his promises for football development in Africa, Ahmad said, “I promised to make Africa a big family and now we organise meetings everywhere in Africa, that is one big dream fulfilled”
CAF President, Ahmad Ahmad
Asked if CAF’s recent initiative of changing the date of AFCON from January to June is best for the continent, he replied, “all stakeholders thought about football in Africa and saw that our style of campaign in the region is different from the world and this is what prompted the change”
He emphasised that CAF recognises that playing group matches of the Champions League in May‚ June and July – where the continent’s top leagues are supposed to be off on holiday – badly impacts on clubs from top leagues.
“Europe gives our players the biggest opportunities and we cannot afford to miss that, so we need to the change in order to allow our own footballers get the best of such gains” He added.
Speaking on the outcome of his meeting in Lagos, Ahmad noted that CAF’s rules of engagement are golden and remains the only benchmark upon which it will partner with stakeholders, stressing that Kenya’s inability to meet up with infrastructural requirement forced the football association to give the 2018 CHAN hosting rights to Morocco.
He furthered, “That is why we always tell our stakeholders that there is CAF standard. If you follow it, we protect you…if you don”t, then you lose it”
Ahmad also gave insights on how he intends to sell Africa to the world at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
“Football in Africa is not only a business of CAF, it belongs to every one of us, so we are going to ensure we facilitate a clear communication with governments at all relevant levels, corporate organisations, among other football stakeholders to help the continent achieve an awesome representation in Russia. ”
Among those who graced the occasion include, eggheads in Nigeria’s football space, some members of CAF’s Emergency Committee; football club owners, members of the diplomatic community, NFF’s sponsors, media associates and partners.
The Nigerian Football Federation, NFF has denied reports that five people died at the Uyo International Stadium during the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier between Nigeria and Zambia on Saturday.
The football body, however, confirmed that some fans were injured while attempting to gain access t the stadium.
There had been reports that some fans died during a stampede at the game.Reports also confirmed that some persons were injured during the match.
“There is absolutely no truth to the report that some fans died. Naturally, considering the nature of the particular match, so many fans wanted to watch the match live, and there were some pushing and shoving at the gates.
“We are in contact with the Akwa Ibom State Government and we can confirm that nobody died. A few persons suffered injuries but they are in hospital and their progress is being monitored,” NFF General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, said on Sunday.
Nigeria became the first African country to qualify for the World up in Russia with a 1-0 win over Zambia.
The Nigeria Football Federation, NFF confirmed that the Swansea youngster, Tammy Abraham has agreed to play for the Nigeria Super Eagles, after featuring for England’s Under 21 team.
Abraham was born in London but remains eligible to play for Nigeria due to his dad’s nationality and having not yet won a first-team cap for England senior team.
The NFF boss, Amaju Pinnick, confirmed his dialogue with the Swansea striker and his father who is keen to see his son play for the Super Eagles.
The forward registered 23 goals in the English championship last season while on loan to Bristol City from Chelsea and he has found the net twice this team for Swansea City while making a number of assists.
The NFF Boss said, “I had a very honest and productive discussion with Tammy and his father last week,” He also assured that both Abraham and his father have started the necessary documentation for the switch.
