Governing Bodies
Nigeria vs Ghana World Cup play-off: It’s time for Green Revolution at Super Eagles’ matches
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
For Nigeria, the quest for qualification for the Qatar 2022 has reached a fever-pitch level. The Super Eagles have all to play for in the last leg of the the play-off. No ambiguity, a win is al it takes to fly to Qatar 2022.
But the rest of Nigerians have their roles to play too. One vivid example comes to mind. At the 2013 FIFA Confederation Cup final, a big fact played out. It is the overwhelming support for a team, irrespective of proceedings on the pitch.
When a situation gets to the point of having to decide ones fate on home soil, beautiful football is often at discount. It is the result that matters. So, when the Seleção of Brazil took on the then World Cup holders at the famous Maracana Stadium in Rio, they could not have wished for a better setting.
Considering the wave of protests that had swept across Brazil at the time, even many were against the hosting of the tournament as well as the World Cup meant for the next year, no one could had predicted a capacity crowd and an overwhelming support for the home team.
After the match, even Brazil’s Coach Felipe Scolari was pleasantly surprised at the outcome. “Nobody expected such an emphatic result, not against the world champions,” he remarked at the post match conference.
He largely attributed the performance of the extra-charged Brazilian team to the overwhelming, if not intimidating support of the densely packed crowd.
“I also want to draw attention to the support the team had off the pitch. It’s a message for the whole of Brazil. We have to get along and stick together to make sure things move forward,” the 2002 World Cup-winning coach said.
The atmosphere was so electrifying that it could have taken only a prophet to predict a total humiliation of Spain, then the best team in the world. This is what the Super Eagles deserve on Tuesday evening in Abuja as they host their most ferocious rivals, the Black Stars.
The 2013 Confederations Cup final is where I will expect the Nigerian football fan to draw a big lesson. When the Brazilian fan decides to back a team, he does so, regardless of the standard being exhibited on the pitch.
If you think I was the only one overwhelmed by the atmosphere at Maracana, perhaps you also needed to be at the massive arena. Hear Blatter, the then FIFA president, “I’ve never seen anything like that. The fans were extraordinary in the stadium. I can still feel [the atmosphere] in the stadium today. When they started to sing the national anthem, even when the official part of it was over, they continued to sing. Ok, perhaps it delayed the match for two minutes, but it was not too important.”
When Nigeria took on Tahiti, the half-filled Estadio Mineirao in Belo Horizonte, the support for the Tahitians was overwhelming and unwavering despite the Tahitians getting ‘goal drunk’.
A typical Nigerian fan would have made a volte face when his team plays disappointingly. When the fans shifted allegiance to the Super Eagles in their subsequent two matches which they lost against Uruguay and Spain, the fans backed the Super Eagles all the way despite the results.
The Nigerian fan should no longer be a fair weather friend of his team. He should not wait for goals to be scored before he let loose his emotions.
Let the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) begin the “Green Revolution” by making available to ech ticket holder, a green T-shirt. Let’s create “Green Belts” at the stadium on Tuesday. Back to the electrifying atmosphere at the Maracana Stadium in 2013, it was a sea of yellow shirts that adorned the bowel of the massive arena.
There was just no way the Seleção would not have felt at home. Perhaps the only other place I ever witness such overwhelming support was at the 2002 World Cup as the South Koreans mobilised behind their not-too strong national team.
In all-red attires, the Koreans packed in the stadiums and fan parks. Such backing saw South Korea topping a group that had teams like Portugal and Poland and even overcame Italy to reach the quarter-finals.
The fans with their red attires created “Red Seas” at every venue Korea played. This is a lesson to the Nigerian fan.
It is should be a task to mobilise fans from neighbouring towns and cities to ensure that the Moshood Abiola National Stadium is filled to capacity when the Super Eagles take on Black Stars.
Put on the colours of your team! When the Super Eagles play at home, let us match the colour of the pitch with those of the stands.
Let there be the green belts. Let us paint the arena green. Let the “green revolution” begin this Tuesday as we make the final fight to qualify for the World Cup.
Let the various supporters clubs come together as an entity, at least for now, to ensure we pick the valuable World Cup ticket.
Let the various supporters clubs adopt the concept of total support, yet non-violent approach in backing our team. Let them create chants that the rest of the crowd can echo. We do not necessarily need long songs that only few can sing.
Let’s electrify the venue! Onward to Qatar 2022.
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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