International Football
Ahmad: Our Vision Is For Transparent, Accountable CAF
Candidate for the presidency of the Confederation of African Football, Mr. Ahmad Ahmad on Thursday declared that his group is committed to installing new thinking and ideals at the CAF headquarters, if he wins this month’s poll in Addis Ababa.
Ahmad, who is also deputy Senate President of Madagascar, told Nigeria’s Senate President Bukola Saraki, Sports Minister Solomon Dalung and NFF officials in Abuja that African football cannot afford to continue with ancient principles while the rest of the world’s game has been taken over by youthful, dynamic and innovative managers.
“The rest of the world has changed in almost every sphere. Why must African football remain static? We want to bring a breath of fresh air. We are committed to a CAF that is transparent, that is accountable and that is more inclusive of the actors of the game.
“We will open the debate on whether there should be a larger Africa Cup of Nations (with more teams), and we have to think hard about infrastructure, real development, maintenance of facilities and filling the stadia during major competitions.”
The 57 –year old insisted he had not always nursed an ambition to be CAF President, but that he was the candidate of a group that came together after the FIFA Congress in Mexico last year and opted for change.
“There are many reasons why we need change. Presently, too much power is concentrated in the CAF Executive Committee, and we feel that should not be so. There is no separation of powers, and certain individuals feel they should take all the decisions while others applaud.
“At the same time, CAF is too far from its affiliate Member Associations. The CAF President should travel more often to the Federations and help nip in the bud the usual tensions that exist between government and the Federations.
“I have very high regard for Nigeria, for what Nigeria has achieved in football and for being an economic power in the African region. I am really grateful to Mr. Pinnick who has been the strongest voice of my campaign, and I thank the Government of Nigeria for supporting him.”
Senate President Saraki, who received Ahmad and the NFF delegation led by 2nd Vice President/LMC chairman Shehu Dikko in his house, noted: “We are a nation of very passionate football fans. Football, like other areas of life, needs visionary leaders who can institute reforms for good governance.
“We are happy with the developments at FIFA level and we desire the same for CAF. There is need for policies that will stimulate rapid development of African football.”
Sports Minister Dalung affirmed that football is a major unifying factor in Nigeria, a multi-cultural country of over 250 ethnic nationalities and about 170 million people.
“Our country has made, and is still making major contributions to peace and security in several African nations, and has also been making positive contributions in the game of football.
Over 70 per cent of Africa’s youth are unemployed, and we believe that with good governance and excellent management of resources, football can provide employment for hundreds of millions of Africa’s young population and by so doing, reduce social vices and restiveness.
“The barriers against Africa competing favourably in the international sphere must be broken. There are a lot of impediments, including poor infrastructure. FIFA should allot more money to Africa for infrastructural development, and there must be equity.
“We cannot afford to remain a mere plucking ground for the European Leagues. The leaders of African football must address these salient issues”.
With Ahmad were Dikko, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi (NFF General Secretary), Dr. Ifeanyi Ubah (proprietor of FC IfeanyiUbah and Chairman of Anambra State FA), Dr. Emmanuel Ikpeme (NFF Deputy General Secretary), Mr. Ademola Olajire (NFF Director of Communications) and Mr. Chikelue Iloenyosi (special assistant to NFF President).
Ahmad was first received by the NFF Management at the Glass House, and later visited the office of the League Management Company, where he addressed media representatives, before flying out of Nigeria on Thursday night.
He had arrived in Lagos earlier on Thursday where he was received by NFF President Amaju Pinnick and 1st Vice President Seyi Akinwunmi, before proceeding to Abuja.
A new trial over the death of Argentine soccer legend Diego Maradona will begin on Tuesday, with seven members of his medical team charged with negligent homicide nearly a year after a previous case collapsed in a mistrial.
An enduring presence in Argentina – from towering murals to tattoos, opens new tab – Maradona died on November 25, 2020, at 60, after a heart attack while he was recuperating from brain surgery to remove a blood clot.
A court in San Isidro, near Buenos Aires, will hear testimony from just under 100 witnesses as it tries Maradona’s medical team over alleged negligence in the death of the 1986 World Cup champion.
His medical team has denied wrongdoing. The defendants are psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov, neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luque, psychologist Carlos Angel Diaz, physician Nancy Edith Forlini, nurse Ricardo Almiron, head nurse Mariano Ariel Perroni, and physician Pedro Pablo Di Spagna. An eighth defendant, nurse Dahiana Madrid, will be tried in a separate jury trial, with no date yet set.
Two months into the first trial, which started last March, a mistrial was declared when one of three judges, Julieta Makintach, resigned after video surfaced showing her being interviewed by a camera crew in the corridors of the courthouse and in her office as part of a documentary, in breach of judicial rules.
The retrial will require both prosecutors and defense lawyers to reassess their strategies after the first trial aired photographs, videos, audio recordings and forensic evidence. Many witnesses, including Maradona’s children and his former wife, Claudia Villafane, have already testified.
Prosecutors argued in the initial trial that medical professionals broke treatment protocols and that the home where Maradona was recovering from surgery amounted to a “theatre of horror,” where necessary care was not provided.
The defense countered that his death was inevitable given his longstanding health problems. Maradona struggled for decades with cocaine and alcohol addiction.
The negligence charges emerged in 2021 after prosecutors appointed a medical board to investigate Maradona’s death. The panel concluded his medical team acted in an “inappropriate, deficient and reckless” manner.
-Reuters
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Aliou Cisse has been named coach of the Angola national team, the country’s football federation (FAF) announced on Thursday, 24 hours after the Senegalese left his post in Libya.
The 50-year-old coach, who led Senegal to their maiden Africa Cup of Nations title in 2022, ended his short stint with the Libyan national team on Wednesday, after taking charge in March 2025.
“Welcome, Aliou Cisse, head coach of the Angola national team,” the FAF said on Facebook. Angola, which failed to reach this year’s World Cup, will start their 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign in September.
-Reuters
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Nigeria’s Super Eagles were held to a 2-2 draw by FIFA World Cup-bound Jordan in an eventful international friendly in Antalya on Tuesday night, with the contest overshadowed by a late red card to Alex Iwobi.
Iwobi, making his 98th appearance for the national team, was sent off in the closing stages, capping a dramatic encounter in which Nigeria surrendered a first-half lead and finished the game with ten men.
The match, played at the Mardan Sports Complex, brought Nigeria’s March international window to a close, but it proved anything but routine as both sides delivered a fiercely contested and entertaining clash.
Jordan, ranked 64th in the world and enjoying strong recent form, struck first in the 17th minute through Mousa Tamari. A well-worked free-kick routine caught the Nigerian defence napping, allowing the forward to fire home the opener.
Nigeria responded quickly and thought they had equalised six minutes later when Raphael Onyedika finished from a Moses Simon cut-back, but the goal was controversially ruled out.
The Super Eagles eventually drew level in the 30th minute. Stand-in captain Moses Simon, earning his 97th cap, reacted fastest after Ademola Lookman’s effort was blocked, slotting home with a composed left-footed finish for his second goal in as many matches.
Nigeria went ahead four minutes before halftime when Bright Osayi-Samuel’s pinpoint cross found debutant Emmanuel Fernandez, who showed great composure to control and finish, giving the three-time African champions a 2-1 lead at the interval.
The second half took on a more physical tone, with goalkeeper Francis Uzoho forced off in the 57th minute after sustaining an injury while clearing the ball. Adebayo Adeleye replaced him between the posts.
Head coach Eric Chelle introduced Wilfred Ndidi and Alex Iwobi to shore up the midfield, but Jordan continued to press and were rewarded with an equaliser in the 77th minute.
Nigeria pushed for a winner late on, handing a senior debut to Philip Otele, while Samuel Chukwueze came on for Moses Simon. However, the closing moments were marred by Iwobi’s dismissal, leaving the Super Eagles to see out the match with ten men.
Despite the draw, the encounter offered valuable insights for the coaching crew as Nigeria continues preparations for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
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