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TEAM DELTA RELEASES INTERVENTIONS FOR CORONAVIRUS AT EDO 2020

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Nigeria’s number one sporting state, Delta State, on Monday released a set of intervening measures aimed at protecting Delta’s contingent from Coronavirus at the Edo 2020 National Sports Festival (NSF) which starts March 22 and ends April 1.

The measures are not exclusive to the Delta contingent, it will also protect athletes, officials, the media and other participants at the festival, Nigeria’s equivalent of the Olympic Games.

According to Solomon Ogba, consultant to Team Delta and Delta State Sports Commission,these interventions include but are not limited to the following,

“The measures we put in place includes appropriate self-isolation period for all participants based outside Nigeria. This will be in specially designated hotels.

“We have made provision of 1000 wipes and hand sanitizers for all athletes and officials. We also have fully automated temperature change monitors that will be operated by health professionals.’’

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Other measures put in place includes round-the-clock surveillance of contact of Delta State athletes with participants representing other states.

Ogba, who is also the Chairman of the Delta State Athletics Association, revealed that the tradition of Team Delta winning the NSF, which began when he was head of sports in Delta State from 1999 to 2007, will be maintained at the Edo 2020 NSF.

Delta’s dominance,Ogba posited, is a product of hard work and enduring structure, builtin place over the course of decades,

“In Delta, we don’t do sports just because of the NSF, sports is a way of life for us, it is a daily thing. We have sports at primary, secondary and tertiary levels.

“We have training and competitions for our athletes regularly. After this NSF, we have the Delta State Inter Local Government Championships.

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“We also have a solid elite athlete development programme, so in Delta, sports is not a one-off thing, it is a way of life” said Ogba.

Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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Governing Bodies

Nigeria To Host CAF General Assembly For Third Time, CAF Awards For Seventh

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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (second right) exchanges greetings with CAF President Patrice Motsepe as Foreign Affairs Minister Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu (right), NFF President Ibrahim Musa Gusau (third left), former NFF President Amaju Pinnick (second left) and CAF Acting General Secretary Samson Adamu (left) look on.

By Kunle Solaja.

Nigeria is set to host the 48th Ordinary General Assembly of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), marking the third time the country will stage the continent’s top football gathering.

The development was confirmed in a statement issued by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), which disclosed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on the sidelines of the ongoing Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, approved Nigeria’s proposal to host the event.

The approval followed a meeting between President Tinubu and CAF President Patrice Motsepe, attended by Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, NFF President Ibrahim Musa Gusau, former NFF President and Special Adviser to the CAF President Amaju Melvin Pinnick, as well as CAF Acting General Secretary Samson Adamu.

Sports Villages Square affirms that Nigeria previously hosted the CAF Congress at the National Theatre in Lagos in March 1980 and again in February 2009, when the late CAF President Issa Hayatou secured another four-year term in office.

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In addition to this year’s 48th Ordinary General Assembly, scheduled for October, Nigeria also secured the hosting rights of the CAF Awards ceremony. The annual awards gala, which celebrates Africa’s top football performers, has been staged in Morocco over the past three years.

Nigeria had earlier hosted the CAF Awards when telecom firm, Globacom, was the headline sponsor. This year’s event will be the seventh to be held in Nigeria after those of 2005, 2008, 2009, 2013, 2014 and 2016.

The CAF Ordinary General Assembly traditionally attracts key football stakeholders from across the continent, including presidents of CAF’s 54 member associations, representatives of the six zonal unions and senior football administrators.

The CAF Awards ceremony is regarded as one of African football’s flagship events, honouring outstanding players, coaches, clubs and officials in a glamorous setting that showcases the continent’s football excellence.

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FIFA bans former Guyana football official Alves for five years over harassment

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FIFA’s independent Ethics Committee has banned former Guyana Football Federation (GFF) General Secretary Ian ​Alves from all football-related activities for ‌five years after finding he sexually harassed female staff members.

FIFA also fined Alves 20,000 Swiss francs ($22,000) after ​determining that he had breached provisions ​of the FIFA Code of Ethics relating ⁠to the protection of physical and ​mental integrity, abuse of position and general duties.

“FIFA ​has a strict stance against all forms of abuse in football,” the organisation said on Monday.

The decision ​followed a review of written statements from ​the victims, documents provided by the GFF, submissions from ‌Alves, ⁠and other evidence gathered during the investigation.

Alves stepped down from his position in 2024.

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The ban came into force on Monday, when ​the terms of ​the ⁠decision were notified to Alves, and the full grounds for the ​ruling will be communicated within 60 ​days ⁠in accordance with the Code of Ethics, FIFA added.

The GFF did not immediately respond to ⁠a ​Reuters request for comment. Alves ​could not immediately be reached for comment.

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Infantino to seek fourth term as FIFA president

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The  76th FIFA Congress - Vancouver Convention Centre, Vancouver, Canada - April 30, 2026 FIFA President Gianni Infantino speaks during the congress as the FIFA World Cup Trophy is seen REUTERS/Jennifer Gauthier

FIFA President Gianni Infantino said on Thursday that he planned to seek re-election for a fourth term in a bid to ​continue to lead the governing body of world soccer.

Infantino ​confirmed he would run for the 2027–2031 term in ⁠the closing moments of the FIFA Congress in Vancouver, which ​comes less than two months before the start of the World ​Cup.

The election will be held on March 18 in Morocco, which is set to co-host the 2030 World Cup.

Infantino said he was “honoured ​and humbled” to have the chance to run for a ​fourth term.

The Italian-Swiss took office in 2016, replacing Sepp Blatter, and was re-elected ‌unopposed ⁠in 2019 and 2023.

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Infantino has pushed for the expansion of FIFA competitions during his tenure, with this year’s World Cup in North America the first to feature 48 teams, while the ​women’s tournament in ​2023 has been ⁠expanded to 32 teams.

Infantino’s tenure has also drawn some criticism over issues such as high World ​Cup ticket prices and the decision to award ​the ⁠inaugural FIFA Peace Prize to U.S. President Donald Trump at the World Cup draw in December.

Earlier this month, the council of South ⁠American ​football’s governing body (CONMEBOL) said in a statement ​it would unanimously support the 56-year-old if he decided to seek another ​term.

-Reuters

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