Governing Bodies
Ghana High Commissioner visits Nigeria’s Sports Minister, assures of warm reception in Kumasi
The governments of Nigeria and Ghana have assured of hitch free 2022 FIFA World Cup playoffs between both countries later this month.
The Sports Minister of Nigeria, Sunday Dare and the Ghana High Commissioner to Nigeria, His Excellency, Rashid Bawa gave these assurances in Abuja on Wednesday.
Mr Bawa had paid a courtesy visit on the Sports Minister in his office to deliberate on areas of interest as the dates for the crucial play-off games draw closer.
Sports Minister Sunday Dare said Nigeria would continue to maintain the long standing relationship with Ghana and the tension around the playoff games will in no way jeopardize it.
His words: “These games should be seen as sports where there is the possibility of winning as there is of losing. We need to demonstrate the spirit of sportsmanship. We must not seen the games as a do or die affair but rather as an avenue to further strengthen the bond that exists already between us.
“This administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has identified sports as a tool for promoting unity and peace, not only within Nigeria but across the World so you can be assured of our hospitality and large heartedness,” the Minister added.
The Ghana High Commissioner in his remarks said his visit was to assure Nigerians that football, especially the fast approaching playoffs would not divide the two countries where long standing relationship, collaborations and friendliness exist.
Mr Bawa said the chartered flight that will airlift the Nigerian contingent to Kumasi in Ghana will be given a landing permit without hassles and the team would be given all the cooperation needed for easy passage into Ghana and during the period of their stay.
He also revealed that five percent of the total tickets for the match at the 40,000 seater Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi will be given as complementary tickets to the Nigerian contingent.
The Minister Sunday Dare thanked Mr Bawa for the gesture and promised that Nigeria will reciprocate this hospitality ahead of the return leg in Abuja on Tuesday, March 29, 2022.
Dare assured that all the logistics to ensure a successful hosting of the game in Abuja have been put in place at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium Complex, Abuja.
By Kunle Solaja.
Nigeria is set to host the 48th Ordinary General Assembly of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), marking the third time the country will stage the continent’s top football gathering.
The development was confirmed in a statement issued by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), which disclosed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on the sidelines of the ongoing Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, approved Nigeria’s proposal to host the event.
The approval followed a meeting between President Tinubu and CAF President Patrice Motsepe, attended by Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, NFF President Ibrahim Musa Gusau, former NFF President and Special Adviser to the CAF President Amaju Melvin Pinnick, as well as CAF Acting General Secretary Samson Adamu.
Sports Villages Square affirms that Nigeria previously hosted the CAF Congress at the National Theatre in Lagos in March 1980 and again in February 2009, when the late CAF President Issa Hayatou secured another four-year term in office.
In addition to this year’s 48th Ordinary General Assembly, scheduled for October, Nigeria also secured the hosting rights of the CAF Awards ceremony. The annual awards gala, which celebrates Africa’s top football performers, has been staged in Morocco over the past three years.
Nigeria had earlier hosted the CAF Awards when telecom firm, Globacom, was the headline sponsor. This year’s event will be the seventh to be held in Nigeria after those of 2005, 2008, 2009, 2013, 2014 and 2016.
The CAF Ordinary General Assembly traditionally attracts key football stakeholders from across the continent, including presidents of CAF’s 54 member associations, representatives of the six zonal unions and senior football administrators.
The CAF Awards ceremony is regarded as one of African football’s flagship events, honouring outstanding players, coaches, clubs and officials in a glamorous setting that showcases the continent’s football excellence.
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FIFA’s independent Ethics Committee has banned former Guyana Football Federation (GFF) General Secretary Ian Alves from all football-related activities for five years after finding he sexually harassed female staff members.
FIFA also fined Alves 20,000 Swiss francs ($22,000) after determining that he had breached provisions of the FIFA Code of Ethics relating to the protection of physical and mental integrity, abuse of position and general duties.
“FIFA has a strict stance against all forms of abuse in football,” the organisation said on Monday.
The decision followed a review of written statements from the victims, documents provided by the GFF, submissions from Alves, and other evidence gathered during the investigation.
Alves stepped down from his position in 2024.
The ban came into force on Monday, when the terms of the decision were notified to Alves, and the full grounds for the ruling will be communicated within 60 days in accordance with the Code of Ethics, FIFA added.
The GFF did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Alves could not immediately be reached for comment.
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FIFA President Gianni Infantino said on Thursday that he planned to seek re-election for a fourth term in a bid to continue to lead the governing body of world soccer.
Infantino confirmed he would run for the 2027–2031 term in the closing moments of the FIFA Congress in Vancouver, which comes less than two months before the start of the World Cup.
The election will be held on March 18 in Morocco, which is set to co-host the 2030 World Cup.
Infantino said he was “honoured and humbled” to have the chance to run for a fourth term.
The Italian-Swiss took office in 2016, replacing Sepp Blatter, and was re-elected unopposed in 2019 and 2023.
Infantino has pushed for the expansion of FIFA competitions during his tenure, with this year’s World Cup in North America the first to feature 48 teams, while the women’s tournament in 2023 has been expanded to 32 teams.
Infantino’s tenure has also drawn some criticism over issues such as high World Cup ticket prices and the decision to award the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize to U.S. President Donald Trump at the World Cup draw in December.
Earlier this month, the council of South American football’s governing body (CONMEBOL) said in a statement it would unanimously support the 56-year-old if he decided to seek another term.
-Reuters
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