Governing Bodies
How Maureen Mmadu’s name erroneously crept into FIFA Century list
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has officially declared that former international Maureen Mmadu did not make 101 international appearances for the team.
It has however taken over a decade for the declaration to be made.
The player in question had made a surprise appearance of the list of players who had made 100 international appearances.
Had that been established, she would have been the first Nigerian to achieve the enviable feat.
At the time, the most capped Nigerian footballer was the lat Muda Lawal who had 85 caps in a glorious career that spanned 10 years (22 January 1975 to 18 August 1985).
Muda’s record was only equaled by Joseph Yobo on 12 November 2011 when Nigeria played a goalless draw with Botswana in Benin City when Stephen Keshi made his debut as Super Eagles’ head coach.
Two days later, Yobo raised the bar with his 87th cap when Nigeria beat Zambia 2-0 in a friendly match in Kaduna.
It was a landmark for Yobo who made his international debut playing against Zambia on 24 March 2001. It was against the same team that he became Nigeria’s most capped player and went on to become the first centurion on 30 June 2014 in Brazil when Nigeria lost to France.
But not all believed that Yobo was the first Nigerian to clock a century of caps. The Maureen Mmadu claim lingererd.
This reporter disputed the woman footballer’s claim and launched an investigation into it as the player’s international appearances were just a fraction over 50 when it was claimed to be 101 after her last international appearance in 2007.
The figures did not add up. First, the number of matches the Falcons had played from 1995 when Mmadu debuted and 2007 when she last played, was far below 100. How could she have had 101?
A mail was sent to FIFA on 4 December 2010 and the reply obtained two days later pointed to a German journalist, Rainer Hennies who was the speciallist in compiling stats on women football for FIFA.
Then began a chain of e-mail exchanges between this reporter and Hennies.
The German pointed out that sometime in 2003, after the Super Falcons qualified for the football event of the 2004 Olympics in Athens, he contacted the then NFA to supply the number of international appearnces of the Falcons’ players.
According to him, he gathers information through the various football associations every four years for both the Olympics and the Women’s World Cup. The Nigerian “FA is just inventing statistics and still seems to be happy with it,” Rainer wrote in an e-mail response to enquiries.
According to him, that is why Nigerian players were hardly considered to be listed on the Century Club since the Sydney 2000 Olympics.
No doubt, record keeping in Nigerian sports is a difficult task. It is also the same in most African countries.
Wahid Oshodi, the newly elected President of the African Table Tennis Federation (ATTF) has made an immediate call to the private sector to boost table tennis on the continent.
His approach focuses on not relying solely on public funds but on seeking corporate investment to elevate the sport.
He has launched an ambitious strategy to strengthen the development of table tennis in Africa.
His first step has been to solicit the backing of the private sector, which he sees as crucial to taking the sport to the next level.
In his inaugural address, Oshodi emphasised that relying exclusively on government funding and the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) “will not be enough to boost the sport across the continent.”
“It’s time to involve private and corporate organisations to help table tennis flourish in Africa.
“We cannot continue depending solely on government funding. We aim to raise the standards and produce more African superstars who can shine globally,” stated the new ATTF president, seeking a significant financial injection to tackle the challenges and ambitions set out for his tenure.
His election, held on 15 October in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, was unanimous. Indeed, a clear acknowledgement of his international reputation and dedication to table tennis.
Oshodi, who was previously elected Vice President of the ATTF in 2019 and Executive Vice President of the ITTF in 2021, has more than proven his ability to lead the sport’s development both in his home country and across the continent.
The Lagos-born leader is not only focused on funding but also on fostering unity among ATTF member associations. He believes that a united continent will be stronger and better positioned to succeed on the global stage. “Unity is key. Together, we can achieve more for table tennis in Africa,” he added.
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.”
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