International Football
CHAN: DALUNG, OGBA, PINNICK WANT EAGLES TO GO FOR ANGOLA’S JUGULAR
As the second string Super Eagles side prepare for Sunday’s quarter final clash with Angola in the African Nations Championship, Nigeria’s Sports Minister, Solomon Dalung has teamed up with Senator Obinna Ogba who is the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Sports and NFF President, Amaju Pinnick to pump up the spirit of the players.
The trio spoke during a visit to the camp of the Super Eagles in Morocco. Nigeria finished top of Group C and take on Group D runners –up Angola at the Stade Ibn Batouta in the third quarter –final.
Dalung said: “I want to appreciate you for all that you have done so far. Nigerians are very happy with you and now we have hope that the future of our football is bright.
“Our President is sports loving and he is following everything that is going on here. I can tell you honestly that he is waiting eagerly to receive you after this tournament must have ended and you have won the trophy.
“Always remember that you are carrying the hopes and aspirations of 180 million, football –passionate people. So be ready to fight for your country on the pitch and make your people happy.
“Don’t be distracted. Everything you need has been provided as the NFF president has said, so it is now left to you to show that desire and hunger to succeed.”
In his opening remarks, Pinnick said: “I want you guys to stand up and give the Honourable Minister a round of applause. We had an event in Casablanca earlier today and when we finished, I asked if he would want to speak to the team before returning to Nigeria (on Friday). Without hesitation he said yes.
So we had to travel by road for over four hours to see you. That shows the heart of a leader and a father.
“He has also ensured that we have your monies (for bonuses, allowances) for this competition from first game to the final game on February 4, so the ball is now in your court. As a Federation, the NFF is very proud of you and what you have done so far. We believe in you. We know you can make history and win this tournament for Nigeria for the first time. Please stay focused, determined and disciplined. Give your 100% and even more to make sure this trophy goes to Nigeria.”
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Sports and a former NFF Board Member, Obinna Ogba, had this to say: “You guys have no reason to be intimidated by any one or any team here. We are giants of Africa and we must show it on the pitch any time we play. I must say that you guys are lucky because of the kind of NFF board currently in place. I have been a board member before so I know what I am saying.
“Now, there is foresight and passion. This NFF leadership takes your welfare as their top priority and that is why we always ensure swift appropriation at the Senate, and the National Assembly generally. Now we can play this game both on the pitch and in the boardroom. Listen to your coaches, be disciplined, be committed and never be afraid or intimidated.”
In his response, team captain and first –choice goalkeeper Ikechukwu Ezenwa said: “It is a privilege to be here to represent Nigeria. From our first day in camp we spoke to ourselves and decided on the slogan, ‘Operation Do Nigeria Proud.’
“We are very focused and determined and our approach is to take it one at a time. We want to appreciate President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR for his interest in our success. We will continue to work hard to ensure that we present this CHAN trophy to him in Nigeria. We also want to say a big thank you to the Sports Minister, our lawmakers and the NFF president for all that they have done and are still doing for us.”
Edward Gyang Pwajok, SAN, a member of the House of Representatives was also present during the visit alongside Bitrus Bewarang, NFF Technical Director.
Representatives from four national players’ unions on Thursday launched a new global organisation in Madrid, which they say will strengthen footballers’ rights and improve dialogue with governing bodies.
Opening a new front in the battle over who speaks for players, the International Footballers’ Association (AIF) was unveiled, with David Aganzo, president of Spain’s Association of Footballers (AFE) and a former head of the global union FIFPRO, appointed to lead the organisation.
Players’ unions from Brazil, Mexico and Switzerland were also represented.
The initiative drew a swift rebuke from FIFPRO, which said in a statement that Aganzo was acting out of self-interest and aligning himself with organisations linked to football governing bodies, as well as groups expelled from FIFPRO over alleged mismanagement.
Aganzo rejected the criticism, saying he “will not seek confrontation with FIFPRO”.
The launch comes amid strained relations between players’ unions and football authorities, particularly over the expanding international match calendar.
Relations between FIFA and FIFPRO deteriorated in 2024 after the union lodged a complaint with the European Commission, arguing that the global governing body was abusing its dominant position by adding competitions without sufficient consultation.
Aganzo denied suggestions that the new initiative was backed by FIFA president Gianni Infantino, but said “direct dialogue with FIFA” was essential.
AFE’s Extraordinary General Assembly approved the initiative in February with 99.8% of votes cast in favour of spearheading the creation of the AIF.
The same assembly also backed AFE’s withdrawal from FIFPRO, citing what it described as a “complete lack of transparency, as well as its total lack of dialogue with international bodies.”
“We represent over 30,000 footballers, and we come here with a new model aimed at safeguarding players’ rights and facilitating direct communication with all international bodies,” Aganzo told reporters.
“We are in contact with 15 to 20 unions already who were very aware of this moment and waiting for this announcement to make their move and join our initiative.”
He declined to identify any unions beyond those present.
Asked about a report that a senior envoy to U.S. President Donald Trump had urged FIFA to replace Iran with Italy at the upcoming World Cup, Aganzo urged caution.
“These are more political issues; on April 30th, I’ll be speaking to Gianni (Infantino) at the FIFA Congress, and we will discuss those things,” Aganzo said.
“People who want to go to the World Cup have to earn their place on sporting merit.”
-Reuters
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A new trial over the death of Argentine soccer legend Diego Maradona will begin on Tuesday, with seven members of his medical team charged with negligent homicide nearly a year after a previous case collapsed in a mistrial.
An enduring presence in Argentina – from towering murals to tattoos, opens new tab – Maradona died on November 25, 2020, at 60, after a heart attack while he was recuperating from brain surgery to remove a blood clot.
A court in San Isidro, near Buenos Aires, will hear testimony from just under 100 witnesses as it tries Maradona’s medical team over alleged negligence in the death of the 1986 World Cup champion.
His medical team has denied wrongdoing. The defendants are psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov, neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luque, psychologist Carlos Angel Diaz, physician Nancy Edith Forlini, nurse Ricardo Almiron, head nurse Mariano Ariel Perroni, and physician Pedro Pablo Di Spagna. An eighth defendant, nurse Dahiana Madrid, will be tried in a separate jury trial, with no date yet set.
Two months into the first trial, which started last March, a mistrial was declared when one of three judges, Julieta Makintach, resigned after video surfaced showing her being interviewed by a camera crew in the corridors of the courthouse and in her office as part of a documentary, in breach of judicial rules.
The retrial will require both prosecutors and defense lawyers to reassess their strategies after the first trial aired photographs, videos, audio recordings and forensic evidence. Many witnesses, including Maradona’s children and his former wife, Claudia Villafane, have already testified.
Prosecutors argued in the initial trial that medical professionals broke treatment protocols and that the home where Maradona was recovering from surgery amounted to a “theatre of horror,” where necessary care was not provided.
The defense countered that his death was inevitable given his longstanding health problems. Maradona struggled for decades with cocaine and alcohol addiction.
The negligence charges emerged in 2021 after prosecutors appointed a medical board to investigate Maradona’s death. The panel concluded his medical team acted in an “inappropriate, deficient and reckless” manner.
-Reuters
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Aliou Cisse has been named coach of the Angola national team, the country’s football federation (FAF) announced on Thursday, 24 hours after the Senegalese left his post in Libya.
The 50-year-old coach, who led Senegal to their maiden Africa Cup of Nations title in 2022, ended his short stint with the Libyan national team on Wednesday, after taking charge in March 2025.
“Welcome, Aliou Cisse, head coach of the Angola national team,” the FAF said on Facebook. Angola, which failed to reach this year’s World Cup, will start their 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign in September.
-Reuters
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