Nigerian Football
NIGERIAN FOOTBALL CHIEF EXECUTIVE, SANUSI CHARGES NIGERIAN COACHES TO BE UPRIGHT, DILIGENT
The General Secretary of Nigeria Football Federation, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi has called on Nigerian indigenous coaches to be upright, diligent and alive to their responsibilities while on duty with any of the National Teams or their clubs.
Sanusi, himself a certified coach, made this call on Tuesday when the new executive team of the Nigeria Football Coaches Association paid him a courtesy call at the NFF Secretariat in Abuja.
“I will tell you the home truth because I am also one of you. We have a situation in which some coaches are not alive to their responsibilities.
“We know some of them who
instigate players to agitate unnecessarily, especially in the National Teams,
because they stand to benefit from such agitation. It is not appropriate.
“I hold this body in high esteem, as I made my name in football and not even in academics.
“We will look at the various requests that you have made, including strengthening the Technical Department.
“I can assure you that we will also grant the NFCA an office at the new NFF Office, make even more robust the CAF coaching courses that we have been running and look at the issue of a few National Team coaches that are being owed with a few to offsetting those debts.”
Earlier, NFCA President Isah Ladan Bosso thanked the Nigeria Football Federation for the support and encouragement that the body has continued to enjoy from the Federation, while outlining a number of requests including the need for any expatriate coach employed to work in Nigeria to register with the body before starting on the job.
On the request for the NFCA to be qualified to have a member on the board of the NFF, Dr. Sanusi told the body’s executives to allow the NFF Bill – which is awaiting the assent of Mr. President – to unfold and the NFF Reform Committee to conclude its work to see what is possible.
Bosso, a former Head Coach of the U20 and U23 National Teams at different periods, was in company with Victor Nwakanma (second vice president); Etta Egbe (public relations officer); Diana Asak (welfare officer), Justine Madugu (financial secretary); Danlami Usman Akawu (assistant training officer); Abdulrazaq Usman (auditor); John Sam Obuh (treasurer) and; Stanley Eguma (secretary).
Also at the meeting were Dr. Emmanuel Ikpeme (NFF Deputy General Secretary); Bola Oyeyode (Director of Competitions); Bitrus Bewarang (Director of Technical); Charity Kadiri (Director of Finance); Ademola Olajire (Director of Communications); Abdulrafiu Yusuf, Siji Lagunju and Dr. Robinson Okosun (Assistant Directors, Technical) and; Ruth David (Head of Women Football).
The miserable run of Akwa United and Ikorodu City came to an end after six games in the Nigerian Premier League this season. Both teams were initially glued at the bottom of the league table.
They now got respite as Akwa United beat Kano Pillar by 2-0 while Ikorodu City even did what could be considered an upset, beating Bendel Insurance 3-0.
Remo Stars bounced back to the top of the log after a 3-0 defeat of Nasarawa United. Shooting Stars are yet to get their rhythm this season, playing a barren draw with Enyimba in Ibadan.
Kwara United who got their first full points of the season last week after a 1-0 defeat of Remo Stars could not consolidate as they were beaten 1-0 by Abia Warriors.
Heartland under Emmanuel Amuneke are gradually recovering as they got a valuable away draw against El-Kanemi Warriors.
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
It is 75 years since Nigeria’s national football team first played an international match. That was on 8 October 1949 when the first set of Nigeria’s assembly on their return voyage stopped over in Freetown and engaged Sierra Leone in an international football match. Nigeria won 2-0, setting a chain of positive results on 8 October.
The country never lost any competitive duel on that date. More significantly, the Super Eagles first qualified for the World Cup on an 8 October date.
That was in 1993 when they were held to a 1-1 draw by Algeria in the quest for USA ‘94 World Cup.
Nigeria became the first English-speaking African country to qualify for the World Cup. Another significance of the October 8 match at the July 5 Stadium, Algiers is that Nigeria were unbeaten for the first time by Algeria at home.
The only deviation from the 8 October Magic was in 2015 when Nigeria lost 2-0 to Congo in a friendly match.
Twenty-six years after Nigeria’s debut international match, one of Africa’s biggest football nations, Egypt fell to the October 8 magic, losing 4-0 to Nigeria in the last stage of the triangular World Cup qualifying series for Argentina ’78.
Up till October 15, 2013, when Ghana beat Egypt 6-1 in Kumasi, the October 8, 1977 duel with Nigeria remained Egypt’s biggest loss in a World Cup qualifying match.
Before the 1977 duel, Nigeria in 1963 played a friendly match with Liberia in Monrovia. The October 8 magic was active, even in an away match. Nigeria drew 2-2 in their very first encounter with Liberia. It was shortly after the team had, through a protest, upturned a victory by Guinea to pick Nigeria’s very first African Nations’ Cup ticket.
Little wonder then that when FIFA suspended Nigeria in 2010, the world governing body provisionally lifted the ban on October 8!
Nigeria on 8 October
- 1949 – Freetown (Friendly) Sierra Leone 0-2 Nigeria
- 1963 – Monrovia (Friendly) Liberia 2-2 Nigeria
- 1977 – Lagos (World Cup qualifier) Nigeria 4-0 Egypt
- 1993 – Algiers (World Cup qualifier) Algeria 1-1 Nigeria… qualify for USA ‘94.
- 2005 – Abuja (World Cup qualifier) Nigeria 5-1 Zimbabwe
- 2010 – FIFA, in apparent respect to the 8 October magic, provisionally lifted a ban imposed on Nigeria.
- 2011 – Abuja (African Nations Cup qualifier) Nigeria 2-2 Guinea. Although undefeated, Nigeria failed to make it to the 2012 African Nations Cup.
- 2015 – D.R. Congo beat Nigeria 2-0 in Visé, Belgium. The ‘October 8 Magic’ is finally broken.
Rivers United have launched themselves to the top of the log at the end of the match day 5 of the Nigeria Premier League. The Port Harcourt side beat Akwa United 2-1 to go afloat after initial leaders, Remo Stars crumbled to a 1-0 defeat at Kwara United in Ilorin on Sunday.
It was Remo Stars’ first defeat in the season. Rivers United are now with 13 points. Stephen Mayo put Rivers United ahead after 31 minutes. But it turned a temporary lead as Akwa United bounced back almost at the blast of the referee’s whistle for the second half.
Friday Apollos levelled up for Akwa United before Ndifreke Effiong Udo scored the winner in the 85th minute.
Sunday Results
- Kwara United 1-0 Remo Stars
- Rangers International 1-0 Abia Warriors
- Heartland FC 2-0 Niger Tornadoes
- Kano Pillars 2-0 Sunshine Stars
- Plateau United 1-0 Ikorodu City
- Rivers United 2-1 Akwa United
- Enyimba 3-0 Katsina United* Suspended
- Nasarawa 0-0 Bayelsa United
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