Governing Bodies
EX- INTERNATIONAL, PAUL OKOKU LAUDS MANDATE TO HAVE FOUR NPFL STARS IN SUPER EAGLES
A former Nigerian international now based in the United States, Paul Okoku has welcomed the decision of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and Ministry of Sports, to mandate, Gernot Rohr, to include four players from the Nigeria Professional Football League in future Super Eagles squads.
Okoku who featured for the Nigerian team that played in the final match of 1984 Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire was also a member of the Flying Eagles squad of 1983 which was the first to qualify for a FIFA organized football competition.
He spoke against the backdrop of the recent poor showing of a wholly foreign-based Super Eagles squad which could only salvage two points out of the obtainable six in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifying duels with Sierra Leone.
Okoku frowned at the reluctance of Rohr to select home-based players in his squad.
He said that it was commendable that the Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Sunday Dare and top officials of the Nigeria Football Federation, led by President Amaju Melvin Pinnick, were in agreement on the need to have NPFL stars in the country’s elite team.
Okoku said the decision was going to motivate footballers playing professionally in Nigeria to raise their performance as they now know they stand a chance of playing for the Super Eagles if they meet the cut.
Speaking further, he said: ”this decision will encourage our players in Nigeria to be at their best in all games because they know that somebody is watching them and if they excel, they will most probably get an invitation to the Super Eagles team.
”It is a morale booster for the players playing at home and serves as an impetus to reach for heights never reached before and increases the competitive spirit in the players, the local teams and the Super Eagles.
”This is the way to go because no meaningful and sustainable development can be attained in our football if we shut out home-based players from our Super Eagles squad.
”Players like my humble self, Tarila Okorowanta, Olukanni brothers, Taju Disu, Segun Odegbami, Adokiye Amiesiamaka, late Stephen Keshi , and a host of others, were discovered from the local scene and going back to that model of football development is the way to go for the success of the Super Eagles”, added Okoku, a winner of the first Tessema Cup with Nigeria in 1984.
Okoku, who resides in the United States of America, said that going forward that he would love to see the number of home-based talents in the Super Eagles increase significantly without putting a cap on the number, pointing out that “putting a cap or limit on the home players in the team has e negative connotation and tends to limit the players to fight for their place in the team”.
The president of the Confédération of African Football, Dr. Patrice Motsepe, has announced five new CAF Vice Presidents. They are:
- CAF First Vice President: Mr Fouzi Lekjaa (Morocco)
- CAF Second Vice President: Mr Kurt Okraku (Ghana)
- CAF Third Vice President: Mr Pierre-Alain Mounguengui (Gabon)
- CAF Fourth Vice President: Ms Bestine Kazadi Ditabala (Democratic Republic of Congo)
- CAF Fifth Vice President: Mr Feizal Sidat (Mozambique)
In addition, the CAF President has co-opted Yacine Idriss Diallo, President of Fédération Ivoirienne de football, into the CAF Executive Committee.
The CAF Executive Committee also approved the names to fill vacant positions on several CAF Committees.
Organising Committee for the African Nations Championship (CHAN)
- President: Pierre-Alain Mounguengui (Gabon)
CAF Technical and Development Committee
- President: Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon)
- Vice President: Malouche Belhassen (Tunisia)
CAF Medical Committee:
- President: Dr. Mohammed Bouya (Mauritania)
- Vice President: Dr. Thulani Ngwenya (South Africa)
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Governing Bodies
Nigeria becoming an epicentre of global badminton as Francis Orbih enters the Badminton World Federation Council
Laurels on the courts and now glory in the boardroom sums up the mark that badminton is making in Nigeria.
The President, Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN), Francis Orbih, has been elected as a council member of the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
The election took place during the BWF Annual General Meeting on Saturday in Xiamen, China.
Orbih emerged victorious over top contenders from other African countries.
He will join Cameroon’s Odette Assembe Engoulou on the council, while Chipo Zumburani (Zimbabwe) and Hadia ElSaid (Egypt) missed out.
An elated Orbih expressed his gratitude to fellow badminton presidents across the globe for their trust and support.
He said, “I am deeply honoured by the trust placed in me by my peers across the badminton world.
“I look forward to quality representation, driving development initiatives, and strengthening badminton’s global reach over the next four years.”
Orbih also acknowledged the support of the Federal Government of Nigeria, particularly the National Sports Commission (NSC), which he said played a significant role in his successful bid.
“The Chairman and the Director General of the NSC monitored the entire process. I’m grateful for their involvement and confident Nigeria will benefit from this,” he stated.
He further appreciated the BFN board members and the Nigerian badminton community for their prayers and continued belief in his leadership.
“From the day I declared my intentions, the board members of BFN have been supportive, and I promise not to disappoint them,” Orbih concluded.
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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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