Nigerian Football
NFF CONGRESS MOVES TO CHANGE ADMINISTRATIVE CALENDAR
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
An adjustment is in the offing in the administrative calendar of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
This follows an adoption of a motion of the NFF Congress that sat in Jos on Thursday to the effect that future elective Congresses of the federation be moved away from the FIFA World Cup year.
That was one of the high points of the communiqué issued at the end of the congress that held in a city where numerous football-related litigations had taken place in the past three years.
According to the communiqué, the 2017 congress is the opinion that stability in the system would be guaranteed in the preparation of the Super Eagles for credible participation at the finals, “and avoid the distractions and crises usually associated with the World Cup year”.
What this means is that the regime that emerges in the next NFF election which is fixed for September 30, 2018 may either have a three-year tenure or five-year tenure for the new motion to be effected.
On September 30, it will be exactly four years that the current board was elected in Warri.
Sports Village Square notes that the cycle of elective congress falling into World Cup year began in 2006 after the previous year’s election was hotly disputed leading to FIFA’s intervention and subsequently asking for fresh election in 2006, the year of the Germany 2006 World Cup.
Failure of Nigeria to qualify and the widely credited statement of “the World Cup is not Nigeria’s birthright” aggrieved many citizens and football stakeholders to the point that the Ministry of Sports had to invalidate his re-election in an election held in his native Kano on November 29, 2005.
Had the election stood, he would have been the first to hold a back-to-back tenure in football administration since 1980 when Sunday Dankaro had the longest tenure that began in 1974.
Sports Village Square recalls that the World Cup has spelt doom for the two regimes that succeeded Ibrahim Galadima.
Sani Ahmed Lulu was impeached by the board following inside intrigues, dispute with the Federal Government constituted President Task Force and the poor outing of Nigeria at the 2010 World Cup.
Upon return from the South Africa 2010 World Cup, he was impeached and Aminu Maigari stepped in on an acting capacity before winning election few weeks later. He was to suffer the same fate after the Brazil 2014 World Cup.
For the election expected to hold next year, in Katsina, the NFF composed a new electoral board comprising: Mohammed Sani Katu, Sani Salawu, S.C.A. Umeha, Olusola Oke and Mohammed Manzo, The NFF General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi will be the secretary of the electoral committee. On standby in the committee are Isong Isang and Mohammed Aliyu Sambo.
In a similar vein, an Electoral Appeal Committee was constituted comprising A. U. Mustapha, Mojeed Adegbindin and Gbwen Alex Gbejule. The secretary will be provided by the NFF Secretariat. On standby are Sir Emma Ochiagha and Mohammed Zanna Mala.
The communiqué by the NFF General Assembly added that the election would hold subject to any amendments to the Statutes in view of the coming NFF Bill.
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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