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I SOUGHT FOR JOB, NOT BRIBE, EMBATTLED SAMSON SIASIA CRIES OUT

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BY KUNLE SOLAJA.

As the clock ticks down to the March 19 date for his appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS), embattled former Nigerian international footballer and coach has reportedly insisted that his life ban and fine by FIFA was a miscarriage of justice.

The player who belonged to the often-celebrated golden generation of Nigerian footballers was last August handed a life ban and a fine of CHF 50, 000 ($52 thousand or N18 million) by FIFA.

According to FIFA, Siasia was found guilty of having accepted that he would receive bribes in relation to the manipulation of matches, which is in violation of the FIFA Code of Ethics.

The formal ethics proceedings against Siasia were initiated on 11 February 2019 and stem from an extensive investigation into matches that Wilson Raj Perumal attempted to manipulate for betting purposes.

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Wilson Raj Perumal is a convicted Singaporean match-fixer. He is accused on several match-fixing scandals. Although FIFA was not specific about a particular match, the Singaporean had published his match fixing memoirs in a book titled “Kelong Kings”, written with investigative journalists Alessandro Righi and Emanuele Piano; the book was released on April 28, 2014.

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I discussed job offer, not bribe, with Wilson Raj Perumal (centre) , says Siasia (left)

In the book, Perumal claims to have ferried Nigeria and Honduras to the final rounds of the 2010 South Africa FIFA World Cup by fixing their qualification matches. Siasia was not the Nigerian coach at the time.

In its decision, the adjudicatory chamber found that Siasia had breached art. 11 (Bribery) of the 2009 edition of the FIFA Code of Ethics and banned him for life from all football-related activities (administrative, sports or any other) at both national and international level.

According to Nigerian publication, SportingLife, Siasia reiterated that he did not collect any bribe to fix any match and that he only negotiated terms after being headhunted for a coaching job. The contact man for the job approached him.

It was further reported that Siasia said he never knew that the said contact was involved in match fixing and had also been convicted.

Sports Village Square suspects that the said contact man is the Singaporean Wilson Raj Perumal. Siasia is reported to have claimed that he had not seen or heard from the man since the cancelled negotiations back in April 2010 until he read about his life ban by FIFA in the media last August.

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Siasia claimed that the coaching job he was looking for was in 2010. He averred that FIFA, in claiming that proceedings against him stemmed from an extensive investigation into matches traced to Perumal, must have relied solely on “some emails about 10 years ago when I was approached for a possible coaching job and not for match fixing or bribery as FIFA claimed they banned me for life for.

“It is clear that I was falsely accused of match fixing. Despite not fixing any match and despite not receiving any money FIFA insisted on banning me for life just for being approached to take up a coaching job”, Siasia disclosed to SportingLife.

Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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Governing Bodies

Sanusi set for record-extending tenure as Nigeria’s football politicians assemble in Asaba

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BY KUNLE SOLAJA.

Speculations gathered ahead of the 2024 Annual General Meeting of the Nigeria Football Federation holding in Asaba on Friday have it that tenure elongation for the General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, is a major item on the agenda.

Neither formal confirmation nor denial has been issued since one of the leading newspapers in Nigeria, ThisDay dropped the hint.  

 The agenda of the meeting is also not made public. Dr, Sanusi is the longest-serving General Secretary in history having been in office from 30 March 2015 making 3,476 days or nine years six months and four days.

It easily drowned that of his closest rival in tenure – Sani Toro whose tenure from 21 December 1993 to 3 May  1999 is merely 2020 days or five years, six months and 12 days.

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 Thus, no one had enjoyed a longer period in office than the incumbent, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi.  It is speculated that the tenure will be extended as NFF has reported that all delegates have arrived in the Delta State capital by Thursday evening.

The NFF Annual General Assembly, the first of which took place 90 years ago in Lagos on 19 February 1934, is the biggest assemblage of football administrators and stakeholders in the country.

In one such meeting on 24 July 2008 in Makurdi, the football body changed its name from NFA to NFF.

This year, according to a press release by the NFF, the plenary will have in attendance, the chairmen and secretaries of football associations in the 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory, chairmen and secretaries of the Nigeria Premier Football League, Nigeria National League, Nigeria Women Football League and the Nationwide League One, as well as chairmen and secretaries of the referees’ association, players’ union and coaches’ association. This group of 88 makes up the Congress.

 They are joined by the members of the NFF Executive Committee and the management team as well as former NFF Presidents and General Secretaries.

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The Minister of Sports Development, John Owan Enoh, is announced as the special guest. Nigeria’s Member of the FIFA Council, Amaju Melvin Pinnick is also expected as well as a representative of the West African Football Union (WAFU B).

The Governor of Delta State, Sheriff Francis Oborevwori will declare the General Assembly open. 

Venue is the Unity Hall of the Delta State Government House.

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Like in Egypt, former Nigerian Olympian, Sadiq Abdulahi wants Tinubu to declare ‘State of Emergency’ in Sports

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Former Nigerian tennis player and Olympian, Prof. Sadiq Abdulahi has called for drastic action to arrest the decline of Nigeria in global sporting events.

  The former tennis player who is now a professor in the United States declared that the “failure to win a medal at the regular 2024 Paris Olympics, the few medals at the Paris Paralympic and the fallout at the National Youth Sports Festival has exposed the deep problems facing the sport’s sector.”

  He wants Nigeria to have the same approach that the Egyptian president has taken while reacting to the country’s performance at the Paris 2024 Olypics.

Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi ordered  a comprehensive evaluation of sports federations that  participated at the Paris Olympic Games, following a mission report submitted by the country’s sports minister.

 According to Prof. Abdulahi, the National Sports Federations charged with the preparation of elite athletes have failed to do their job despite the cry for funding from the government.

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“Federal Government cannot adequately fund all the Olympics sports. It is impossible.

“By declaring a state of emergency, new people, new approaches and new funding models will be identified. More importantly, the Federal Government will redefine grassroots sports development.

“We will lay sustainable foundation for sports development.”

Continuing, he called for the return of the National Sports Commission (NSC) which enabling decree was abolished through Decree No. 7 of 1991, but came back through presidential proclamation under Sani Abacha before it was abolished again.

 The original NSC was established in 1964 as National Sports Council before the promulgation of Decree 34 of 1971 which legalised it as  the apex Federal Government agency to control, regulate and organize sports.

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  “The FG may now bring back the National Sports Commission or the National Sports Authority. Our emerging national economy with the full participation of the private sector can support this new beginning. I hope this helps.” 

RELATED STORY: President Al-Sisi orders sports system overhaul

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Governing Bodies

CAF gives Yoruba and Arabic interpretations of  ‘OLA’ the Super Cup 2024 Official Match Ball

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The Confédération African of Football, CAF, has given the linguistics interpretation of OLA, the confederation’s official match balls produced by Puma which has also unveiled a special edition for the Super Cup duel holding on Friday in Saudi Arabia.

According to CAF, OLA, symbolizing the dynamic and energetic nature of African football, means “wealth,” “honour,” and “respect” in Yoruba and “rise” and “success” in Arabic.

The OLA ball stands out with its vibrant design and cultural significance. “OLA” 

The ball is a mix of black and gold, representing power and sophistication. The ball will be the centrepiece of the eagerly-awaited match between the two giants of African football.

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