Governing Bodies
DESPITE CORONAVIRUS, NIGERIA FOOTBALL LEAGUE MARCHES ON
BY MUYIWA AKINTUNDE
Like most public activities, football has been shut down in most continents following COVID-19 outbreaks. But the League Management Company says the NPFL will go on as the country remains safe for football activities.
In an interview with The Punch, LMC Chairman, Shehu Dikko assured that preventive measures for fans, players, officials and all are in place, while the situation is being monitored to determine appropriate actions.
As the combatants file out at 10 venues this evening for Week 25 matches, the jostle for the title, continental tickets and retaining top flight status continues at different fronts.
Plateau United v Kwara United
Three seasons ago, Plateau United lifted the title with only four points separating them and runners-up MFM. At this point in the ongoing term, the Jos side have established a four-point advantage at the summit and rearing to go and claim the league for the second time in their history.
Plateau have a date with Kwara United at the New Jos Stadium this evening. On that ground, Abdu Maikaba squad have dropped only only four points in 12 matches this season, resulting from Kano Pillars and Akwa United playing goalless.
The visitors Kwara United are in deep trouble as they are two steps up bottom placed Adamawa United. The Harmony Boys had failed to win in six straight matches – including a lone goal home loss to Lobi Stars. They struggled to beat Wikki Tourists last Sunday in Ilorin.
In the first leg on November 24, Kwara United lost 1-3. A repeat – or an improved – performance is what Plateau United seek at home.
Rivers United v Warri Wolves
In chasing the leaders, second placed Rivers United must be mindful of a slip up. On their heels are Lobi Stars, who are just two points short and desperate to make up for a recent dip in form.
United have to make up for the lone goal setback in Enugu against Rangers last Sunday, their first defeat in seven matches.
Heartland, Abia Warriors and Wikki Tourists have each picked a point at Yakubu Gowon Stadium in Port Harcourt this season, while the other nine sides crashed.
United can’t afford to be complacent against Warri Wolves, who have won twice and drawn four times on the road in their return to the NPFL. The Seasiders occupy the last spot in the upper half of the table and can have an improved standing.
Wolves nurse a grudge against United who left Warri Township Stadium with all points in the first leg.
Lobi Stars v FC Ifeanyi Ubah
Lobi Stars provided a stiff chase of Plateau United in the first half of the season, but the Ortom Boys have since fallen short allowing Rivers United to take their place at No 2.
The 2018/19 champions disappointed their fans in their last two home games which ended 2-2 and goalless respectively against Kano Pillars and leaders Plateau United.
Unless Rivers United capitulate in their own fixture, Lobi Stars will remain at No 3 even if they beat their visitors with whom they finished goalless in Nnewi in their first encounter this season.
Ifeanyi Ubah are bad travellers. In 12 away games, they have picked just one point from their 1-1 deadlock in Lagos against MFM.
Wikki Tourists v Kano Pillars
Two back-to-back losses to Rivers United (1-2) and Rangers (0-1) appear to have condemned Pillars to a miserable season. But the four-time winners have since bounced back and were triumphant in two of their last three matches while drawing the other.
Now fourth on the log, Pillars are chasing continental qualification, which is open to the top three.
Presently six points adrift of Lobi Stars, Masu Gida go after their second away victory having beaten Dakkada FC by a lone goal in Uyo earlier in the season.
Wikki Tourists got beaten 0-1 by Plateau United the last time they played at home. It turned out to be their second loss on their own ground after Sunshine Stars prevailed 2-1 on Matchday 14.
In the relegation zone, the Bauchi team, who played goalless with Pillars in the first leg, have their job well cut out. Another setback will just compound their woes.
Dakkada FC v Rangers
Fifth placed Rangers are on a high after winning three of their last four matches and sharing honours with MFM in Lagos in the other, while Dakkada have pulled only one win, one draw and two defeats within the same period.
The Flying Antelopes are seeking to pay Dakkada back in their own bad coins given that the newly promoted side won 2-0 in Enugu in the first leg.
Nasarawa United v Akwa United
Akwa United will be playing away for the second time in a row. The Promise Keepers’ last outing on Sunday ended 1-1 against Katsina United, their second point in three matches.
In their last three matches as well, victory over Katsina United sandwiched two defeats for Nasarawa United.
The Uniteds – Akwa and Nasarawa – were united in scoreline in the first leg in Uyo, which finished 1-1.
Sunshine Stars v Katsina United
Sunshine Stars received a heavy loss in Aba last time out with Enyimba pumping in three goals.
Back in Akure, the Owena Waves have to show character as they chase their eighth home victory having recorded five draws on that ground this term.
It’s a revenge-seeking Stars that are expected to file out this evening having lost 0-2 in the first leg to Katsina United.
Katsina United have themselves not had a good run. Only one win in four matches have United placed 13th on the log, only three points above the drop zone.
Adamawa United v Enyimba
Title holders Enyimba will file out at Pantanmi Stadium in Gombe against the last team on the log, Adamawa United, who are on a free fall.
In five recent matches, the hosts have won just one and lost the others. They have been defeated four times in front of their fans – to Lobi Stars, Rivers United, Sunshine Stars and Warri Wolves.
Enyimba are the title challengers that Plateau United will not like to have close on their heels as they have the experience to grab the top spot. With five outstanding matches accumulated as a result of their continental assignment, Enyimba are 13 points behind the log leaders.
With six wins in their last seven domestic fixtures, the People’s Elephants have struck the right form at the right time.
Adamawa United are struggling for points and have picked only three in their last four games, which came from their 2-1 result over Ifeanyi Ubah in Gombe on Matchday 21.
Enyimba won the first leg 2-0 in Aba.
Jigawa Golden Stars v Heartland
Heartland will be coming to this fixture on a high having dimmed Lobi Stars 2-0 last Sunday to steer clear of trouble, on the same day Jigawa Golden Stars lost 0-2 to Kano Pillars at Sani Abacha Stadium in Kano, the temporary base of Jigawa Golden Stars.
Jigawa, who lost 0-1 in Okigwe in the reverse fixture, may be lifted out of the relegation zone if they win.
MFM v Abia Warriors
MFM have given their fans much to worry about this season. Their last two games at Agege Township Stadium ended goalless (versus Rangers and Heartland), while their last seven away matches have brought no point.
Last Sunday’s victory over visiting Adamawa United will inspire Abia Warriors in Lagos this evening.
But with nine defeats on the road out of 12 matches, Abia Warriors should not pose much problem for MFM.
A former member of the FIFA Council, Mamoutou Toure, has been released from jail in Mali after almost two years in detention for alleged corruption, Malian media reports said on Wednesday.
Toure, president of the Malian Football Federation since 2019, was released after 622 days in prison on Tuesday.
He served on the FIFA Council, world football’s all-powerful decision-making body, for four years until last month when he lost his seat after failing to contest new elections.
The 67-year-old was arrested in August 2023 on allegations of embezzling $28 million of public funds but was granted a provisional release order by the Malian courts, reports said.
He was accused of misconduct during his time as the National Assembly’s financial and administrative director from 2013-2019.
Toure denied all charges and, during his time in jail, was last August re-elected as Malian Football Federation president for a second consecutive term, with his supporters claiming he was a victim of a conspiracy fuelled by detractors.
While in jail, he received a letter of support from FIFA president Gianni Infantino. However, as of last month, Toure is no longer a member of the FIFA Council or the Confederation of African Football’s executive committee.
-Reuters
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The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has denied reports of an outstanding debt to former captain Christian Chukwu and has challenged anyone with verifiable documents to prove otherwise.
Chukwu, a former national team captain and chief coach, died last Saturday.
The Nigeria Football Federation decried statements in a section of social media that the football-ruling body was indebted to the deceased.
Reacting to one statement on social media that claimed NFF owed the 1980 Africa Cup of Nations-winning team captain the sum of $128,000, NFF General Secretary, Dr Mohammed Sanusi, said: “There is no record in the NFF of any outstanding indebtedness to ‘Chairman’ Christian Chukwu.
“During the first term of the Board headed by Amaju Pinnick, a committee was set up to diligently peruse the papers of coaches who were being owed, even from previous NFF administrations.
“That committee was given the clear mandate to verify all debts and ensure that the coaches being owed were paid immediately. I am aware that the ‘Chairman’ was in the employ of the NFF between 2002 and 2005, before he was relieved of the post following the 1-1 draw with Angola in a FIFA World Cup qualifying match in Kano in August 2005. There is certainly no record of indebtedness to him in the NFF.”
Sanusi challenged anyone with genuine and verifiable documents of NFF indebtedness to any coach, who has worked with any of the National Teams over the past two decades, to come forward and tender those documents.
“As a credible organization that is very much alive to its responsibilities, if we are confronted with any genuine document of indebtedness to any coach, we will offset the debt immediately.”
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Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter and France soccer great Michel Platini were both cleared of corruption charges by a Swiss court on Tuesday, two and a half years after they were first acquitted of the offences.
The pair, once among the most powerful figures in global soccer, were cleared of fraud at the Extraordinary Appeals Chamber of the Swiss Criminal Court in the town of Muttenz, near Basel.
The hearing came about after Swiss federal prosecutors appealed against their 2022 acquittal at a lower court.
Both men had denied the charge which related to a 2 million Swiss franc ($2.26 million) payment Blatter authorised for Platini in 2011.
The court said there were doubts about the prosecution’s allegation the payment for Platini, a former captain and manager of the French national team, was fraudulent.
The 2022 indictment had accused Blatter and Platini of deceiving FIFA staff in 2010 and 2011 about an obligation for world soccer’s ruling body to pay Platini.
“They falsely claimed that FIFA owed Platini, or that Platini was entitled to, the sum of 2 million Swiss francs for advisory work. This deception was achieved through repeated untruthful claims made by both accused parties,” the indictment said.
But the court cleared the pair, saying their account of an oral agreement for the payment could not be ruled out.
Platini had argued that the payment had been partly deferred until 2011 because FIFA lacked the funds to pay him in full immediately.
The court said the pair had both been consistent in their accounts of the payment, which covered consultancy work carried out by Platini for Blatter between 1998 and 2002.
Platini’s experience as a top footballer and coach, explained the size of the payment, said the court, which followed the legal principle that in cases of doubt, favour the accused.
“It can not be assumed that the defendants acted with the intention of enriching themselves in the sense of the charged offences,” the court said.
The scandal, which emerged in 2015 when Platini was president of European soccer’s ruling body UEFA, ended his hopes of succeeding Blatter, who was forced out of FIFA over the affair.
Blatter and Platini were suspended from football in 2015 by FIFA for ethics breaches, originally for eight years, although their exclusions were later reduced.
Platini said he was relieved the case was over, and he had received messages of support from 10,000 people.
“The persecution of FIFA and some Swiss federal prosecutors for 10 years is now over,” Platini told reporters. “It is now totally over. And for me, today, my honour has returned and I am very happy.”
The 69-year-old said he thought the case had been intended to prevent him becoming FIFA president, but he was now too old to return to football.
The money, which had been confiscated and held by the Swiss authorities, can now be returned to him.
A frail-looking Blatter hugged his daughter Corinne after the judgement and said he was relieved with the decision.
“It is a great relief for me because it’s been going on for ten years. It’s like a sword of Damocles hanging over my head,” he told reporters.
“And now it’s over and I can breathe,” the 89-year-old said.
Prosecutors had sought a sentence of 20 months in jail, suspended for two years for both Blatter and Platini.
The Swiss attorney general’s office said it would review the written judgement, before deciding whether to appeal again to the Swiss Federal Court, the country’s highest legal authority.
-Reuters
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