BY KUNLE SOLAJA.

Often recalled is March 22, 1980, as the date that Nigeria first won the Africa Cup of Nations. But the date also holds more significance apart from the winning of Africa’s most coveted sports glory.

  There are some Nigerian sports personalities, long forgotten that the 22 March holds significance. Lead on the list is a certain Joseph Mead.

 His name rings no bell, even to the very old Nigerian football followers.

 He was the founding secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) when it was founded as Nigeria Football Association (NFA) in 1933 (not 1945 as it is wrongly assumed).

 He was born on March 22, 1907. Had he been alive, he would have been celebrating his 73^rd birthday, the day Nigeria beat Algeria 3-0 to win the Africa Cup of Nations in 1980.

Until two years ago when he clocked 94, Titus Okere was the oldest former Nigerian international.

He was born on March 22, 1929. When the then Green Eagles lifted the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time on 22 March 1980, it was like a divine tribute to the pioneer Nigerian left winger. He was 51 on that day.

Okere died in the UK on 13 June 2023. He was a member of Nigeria’s first national team, the famed UK Tourists of 1949.

Okere, the left-wing wizard of the team who was initially projected to captain the 1949 squad, lived a quiet life in Kent, some 61km from London in the UK before he died.

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BY IKENNA NWOKEDI

The Nigeria National League Club Owners and Managers Association (NALCOMA) have commended the President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Ibrahim Gusau on the groundbreaking of the NFF-FIFA Hostel project and pitches.

The commendations were made by the association’s President, Godwin Enakhena who described the development as a huge plus to the growth of football.

The NALCOMA boss affirmed that it is coming at a time when priority needs to be given to football growth and development judging by the influx of unharnessed footballing talents at the grassroots level.

Enakhena while congratulating the NFF also extended warm felicitations to the National Sports Commission (NSC) for their support and FIFA for bankrolling the important and unique project in the country.

He called on all stakeholders to extend a hand of fellowship through their support and by keying into the vision of the current NFF administration towards advancing the course of football development in the country.

Enakhena said: “I wish to commend the NFF under the leadership of  Ibrahim Gusau for this noble and visionary drive occasioned by the groundbreaking construction of the NFF-FIFA Hostel project and pitches.

“This will no doubt take our football to an accelerated level judging by the influx of untapped football talents at the grassroots level.

“This is a big plus to our football, and I wish to also commend the National Sports Commission (NSC) for rendering the necessary support and most importantly to the umbrella body of football in the globe, FIFA, for agreeing to fund this project in Nigeria.

“This is a milestone and may I use this opportunity to call on all football stakeholders in the land to lend their support to the current NFF administration under Gusau,” Enakhena said.

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The Ibrahim Musa Gusau-led NFF administration will add another milestone on Tuesday when the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of a players’ hostel and a number of new training pitches holds in Abuja.

The groundbreaking will be done by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas.

Named the NFF-FIFA Players’ Hostel, the 68-room facility is located at the heart of Package B of the MKO Abiola National Stadium, Abuja, almost directly opposite the NFF Secretariat.

 It is a two-wing edifice, with A and B sections, and has a total of 62 single rooms, four suites and two executive suites.

Alongside the hostel is the construction of two new training pitches (one synthetic and one natural grass), re-construction of the existing synthetic pitch, sitting terraces for spectators, two dressing rooms for players (each accommodating 27 players at a time) and two dressing rooms for officials. The spectators’ terraces will have 1,838 seats.  

The construction, which is projected to last 24 months, is funded by the world football governing body, FIFA through its FIFA Forward 3.0 program.

The FIFA Forward is the largest and biggest sport development program in the world and was created in 2016 when FIFA President Gianni Infantino was first elected to office.

The core idea is three-fold: increase the investment into football worldwide; achieve more impact with specific and tailor-made projects and; make sure to have more oversight to ensure that the investment in football development is transparent, carefully managed and effective.

NFF President, Ibrahim Musa Gusau, said: “The NFF is excited about the Players’ Hostel and new training pitches. It is a transformational project around our national teams, and we are grateful to FIFA for providing the funds for these amazing facilities.

“Right from the inception of the present NFF administration, we were very clear on what we wanted to do with our FIFA Forward 3.0 funds.

“Building a players’ hostel and having new training pitches will not only enhance team management, but it will also substantially reduce expenditure in these areas and enable us to commit more funds to grassroots development programs.”

Artist’s impression of the new pitches

FIFA’s Deputy Chief Member Associations Officer and Regional Director (Africa), Gelson Fernandes, said: “The main objective of the Forward Programme is to ensure top-quality infrastructure that drives football development worldwide.

“The NFF’s transformation of its Technical Centre is a perfect example – upgrading training pitches, building modern accommodation and creating a true home for the national teams; this project is a brilliant one for Nigeria football.

“We’re proud to support and to work alongside the NFF, not only with funding but also by sharing expertise to make this project a reality. Nigeria lives and breathes football, and FIFA is committed to helping the game grow as much as we can.”

Among the special guests invited to Tuesday’s ceremony are the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa; the Ambassadors of the UAE and the Kingdom of Morocco; former deputy governor of Edo State, Phillip Shaibu; Inspector General of Police,  Kayode Egbetokun; Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi; Comptroller General of Immigration, Kemi Nanna Nandap and; Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Shehu Dikko.