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ON JUNE 12, THE ENGLISH PREMIERSHIP STANDS!

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The June 12 date, which many politically sensitive Nigerians are aware of, is the date that the English Premiership has penciled down for the season’s restart.

The June 12 election in 1993 is widely believed to be the most credible poll ever conducted in Nigeria, yet the results were annulled by the Military.  Twenty-seven years later, the English Premiership will restart on that date as timetable for the resumption of the 2019/20 season is unfolded.  

According to Daily Mail, the first Premier League fixture is likely to be on Friday, June 12.

However, some Premier League clubs are arguing that relegation should be scrapped because games must be played at neutral grounds.

Brighton chief executive Paul Barber said: ‘Playing matches in neutral venues has the potential to have a material effect on the integrity of the competition.’

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Brighton were due to be at home in five of their remaining nine matches. But there is growing consensus that the usual rules will have to apply to ensure competition is meaningful.

The Mail on Sunday can reveal that initial plans for the restart centred on only four neutral grounds being used in the Midlands, but pushback from Premier League clubs meant that the league has now settled on eight to 10 grounds being used.

That is because the Government will only license a maximum of 10 grounds because of the fears of coronavirus contagion if matches were played home and away.

All games will be played behind closed doors initially.

A timetable has been proposed, though the Premier League has stressed to clubs that it will only be acted upon when the Government says it is safe.

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However, the Government is keen for football to restart if it can as the economy tentatively begins to open up. The key dates pencilled in are May 11: a return to group training but with social distancing; May 25: contact training begins and June 12: Premier League matches resume.

There will be more detailed talks this week and the Professional Footballers’ Association will have to be consulted over key aspects to reassure players.

The idea of quarantining players in hotels is losing momentum.

However, there will still be a raft of medical protocols to observe before a restart and there are major problems to be resolved with players. These include all players being tested for respiratory problems and undergoing an electrocardiogram heart monitor test because it is feared the virus could damage heart muscle. It is unclear how to deal with players with asthma and diabetes.

One Football League club has five players with underlying health conditions who are at increased risk. It is unlikely they could take part in any restart and many clubs report similar problems.

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All players and staff will be tested twice a week to minimise the risk. But it is impossible to eliminate all risk and explaining that to players while reassuring them that the risk can be kept within acceptable limits is key.

The Premier League have agreed to pay for all tests, which will be carried out independently, but the league will only allow that if the Government says that there is sufficient capacity for public testing. The same applies to ambulance capacity and the attendance of medics at matches.

Players already fill in a well-being app each day to record their sleep times and muscles strains. They will now have to record whether they or any member of their family has any coronavirus symptoms. If they do, they will have to be tested and not attend training.

Testing will be extended to players’ families, but that will only be allowed if there is sufficient public testing capacity. Players will have to follow strict rules at home which will mean they remain under effective lockdown even if the restrictions are eased for the general population.

If a player tests positive they will be withdrawn and isolate for seven or 14 days. Crucially, the entire squad will not have to be isolated. They will all be immediately tested and any further cases withdrawn. It has not been decided how many players testing positive would trigger a match being postponed. Physios and medics will be able to work as long as they use personal protective equipment.

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A key point raised was that teams should not play in their home cities, thus discouraging crowds from gathering outside grounds.

The Premier League want both sides travelling approximately the same distance which is why many games will be in The Midlands. Molineux and the King Power Stadium are expected to be among the approved grounds.

Spacious stadiums which allow social distancing and are less prone to crowds gathering are more likely to receive a licence. Wembley is expected to host the FA Cup final and therefore may also be included as one of the neutral venues but most will be existing Premier League stadia.

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden and the Government’s deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van-Tam met with the medical chiefs of the Premier League, the FA, the English Cricket Board, the Rugby Football Union and the British Horseracing Authority last week to establish the medical protocols for returning to sport and another meeting is expected this week. Government sources insist that the mooted point of raising the nation’s morale with the return of sport is not part of the discussions and that sport will only resume when medical experts deem it safe.

All games will be screened live and TV companies would like matches played every day of the week. Whether the FA Cup is interspersed within those games or comes as a week-long fiesta of football at the end of the season is under debate.

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Although UEFA has stated that domestic leagues are the priority, the FA Cup will finish this season if the Premier League resumes.

FA chief executive Mark Bullingham has said that the national governing body will lose more than £100m because of the coronavirus pandemic. As such, it is financially imperative that the FA Cup resumes, if permitted by the Government.

That has been central to discussions as Premier League clubs are well aware of the financial pressures the FA are under, having had Euro 2020 cancelled and all international games called off for the foreseeable future.

The FA Cup final has been pencilled in for Saturday, August 8, although a midweek date of August 5 is also under consideration. It is expected to be the final game of the season. It is unclear where the protocols and restrictions under which football will operate will leave the English Football League. Sources at the EFL insist that they await Government advice, but the official position is that they want to resume the season whenever they can, playing home and away fixtures.

Given that the Government will only license certain neutral grounds and there is the costly logistics of tens of thousands of tests, it seems unlikely that could happen in June for League One and Two teams. One EFL club owner said that the likelihood of resuming the season now was as low as five per cent, though others remain determined to try until the last possible moment.

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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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Governing Bodies

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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