Governing Bodies
CHEERING BANNED AS SOUTH KOREAN, CHINESE WOMEN FINALLY BATTLE FOR PLACE IN TOKYO GAMES
After repeated postponements stretching back more than a year because of the coronavirus pandemic, South Korea and China’s women’s football teams will finally meet on Thursday (April 8) for a last-ditch spot at the Tokyo Olympics.
The first leg takes place in Goyang, South Korea, and the return fixture is on April 13 in the Chinese city of Suzhou, with a place in July’s delayed 2020 Games up for grabs.
The Olympic qualifier was first scheduled for March last year but became an early victim of the pandemic, and has been postponed three times.
When the Asian rivals belatedly clash, they will do so with Covid-19 still hanging heavy over the tie.
The Chinese squad landed in South Korea this week dressed in full protective bodysuits, complete with goggles, gloves and masks.
And while the first leg at Goyang Stadium, near Seoul, is open to some spectators, the limited number of fans allowed in have been told not to eat or shout in an attempt to contain infections.
It is a taste of what could lie ahead for the team who reach the Olympics, which have been pushed back by a year to July 23-Aug 8.
There are only two berths left at Tokyo in the women’s football, with Cameroon facing Chile for the other.
China hope it will be a victorious final chapter in a tortuous journey to Tokyo which began in Wuhan, ground zero of the pandemic.
‘Great opportunity’
The squad were training in Wuhan for an Olympic qualifying tournament scheduled to be held there in February last year, but the competition was moved to Nanjing, then Sydney, as the coronavirus took hold.
The team left Wuhan a day before it went into the world’s first virus lockdown on Jan 23.
They flew to Australia but were forced to quarantine in a hotel, where they were pictured doing stretches in a corridor. Their predicament made headlines because such measures were rare then.
When they finally got out, Jia Xiuquan’s side – missing star player Wang Shuang, who was stuck in Wuhan – won twice and drew once.
With China then at the centre of the coronavirus, the team became a defiant symbol back home, meaning there is more interest than normal in how they fare against the Koreans.
History beckons for South Korea, who have never qualified for the Olympics since women’s football was first included at Atlanta 1996, where China were beaten by hosts the United States in the final.
The Chinese women are now 15th in the Fifa rankings, three places above their opponents.
Experienced Korean defender Kim Hye-ri said it was a relief to get the game on finally.
“Such a great opportunity will never come again,” she said.
“We’ve suffered tremendously from our failure to advance to (past) Olympics.
“I really want to be able to smile this time.”
-AFP
Governing Bodies
Sanusi set for record-extending tenure as Nigeria’s football politicians assemble in Asaba
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.
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.
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.
Governing Bodies
Like in Egypt, former Nigerian Olympian, Sadiq Abdulahi wants Tinubu to declare ‘State of Emergency’ in Sports
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.
“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.
“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
Governing Bodies
CAF gives Yoruba and Arabic interpretations of ‘OLA’ the Super Cup 2024 Official Match Ball
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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