Governing Bodies
PINNICK ENDORSES AFRICAN COACHES’ ‘TRAIN THE TRAINERS’ COURSE IN AKURE
President of the Nigeria Football Federation and FIFA Council Member, Amaju Melvin Pinnick has commended the leadership of Football Coaches Association of African Nations (FCAAN) for its vision, commitment and investment in training coaches, as the body prepares for another landmark ‘train the trainers’ programme in Akure, the Ondo State capital on Sunday.
“The NFF is particularly impressed with your drive and the passion with which you have been executing the coaching programmes over the years. We need more inspired facilitators like you to help the lot of our coaches, and lift them notches higher than they are at the moment.
“Personally, I am always excited at ‘train the trainers’ programmes. It is capacity enhancement that every professional, in and outside football, needs to be as good as they can be. Proficiency comes with passion for what you do, experience and quality training. Your organization is doing great work and must be praised,” Pinnick told Dr Babatunde Terry Eguaoje, president of FCAAN in Lagos on Friday.
Eguaoje, who is also Consultant on Coaching and Development to the NFF, said he is encouraged by the words of Mr Pinnick and will ensure the training programmes continue at good pace.
FCAAN’s latest drive is a seven-day ‘C’ course programme which commences in the Ondo State capital on Sunday, at which no fewer than 100 Nigeria football coaches are expected. The FCAAN’s ‘C’ course is the highest-level course thus far that the body is offering on the African continent.
“FCAAN is the world’s largest Football Coaches Association with over 45,000 members across the globe. Over the years, we have offered F, E and D courses in Nigeria to update coaches on global best practices and expose them to current coaching methodologies. Our conviction is that better coaches will inevitably translate to better players.”
Eguaoje, who holds double Doctorate Degrees in education and Master’s in sports management in the United States, said the ‘C’ course will expose participants to practical sessions on how to critically analyse matches in ways that will improve their knowledge and understanding of the game.
FCAAN’s Director of Coaching Education, Ambassador Henry Abiodun challenged all the coaches coming for the programme to put in their best as anyone who fails to meet up with the international standard set for the course will not be certified.
The participants are drawn from the Nigeria Professional Football League, Nigeria National League and the grassroots. It will be recalled that FCAAN licensed over 200 coaches who took part in the association’s ‘D’ coaching course in Ibadan and Akure two years ago.
Only on Tuesday, the FCAAN signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Nigeria’s leading sportswear company, Owu which certifies the latter as the Official Kit Partner of the association.
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.
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’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.
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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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.
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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