Sports
Nations Cup Failure:Minister Describes SAFA As Disgraceful
South Africa’s FA (Safa)
has been branded a ‘disgrace’ by Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula for its reaction to the failure to reach the Cup of Nations.
Safa had lodged a hasty formal appeal with Caf against the head-to-head system used to separate teams. Niger emerged shock winners of a group having finished level on points with South Africa and Sierra Leone.
Safa officials, players and coaches thought goal difference decided who finished first in the group.
Bafana Bafana players even celebrated by dancing after a 0-0 home draw with Sierra Leone believing South Africa had qualified for next year’s tournament.
Coach Pitso Mosimane admitted that he played for a draw as South Africa ground out a 0-0 result at home to Sierra Leone.
Mbalula slammed Safa’s reaction to the failure saying the lack of knowledge of the rules is inexcusable.
“It is unfortunate we misread the rules of the tournament and played for a draw. There is no way a national team can play to get a draw,” Mbalula said.
“National pride means the players must go out there and die for their country. This is a serious blunder. The rules are in black and white.
“I was surprised to hear one of the (Bafana) players arguing that Caf changes the rules after games.
“In other countries, people resign because of such failures. This is unacceptable.
“This is a national disgrace, we are not talking here about Kaizer Chiefs or Orlando Pirates but our national team. People came here wearing suits, saying ‘we are appealing’ (to Caf). “You can’t argue with Caf, they will put you in your right place.”
Caf regulations elevate head-to-head records above goal difference and these were taken into account after three teams finished on top of Group G with nine points: Niger, South Africa and Sierra Leone.
The 2012 Nations Cup Rules states that in case of equality of points between two or more teams, after all the group matches, the ranking of the teams shall be established according to the following criteria:
14.1 Greater number of points obtained in the matches between the concerned teams
• NIGER qualify after taking six points from their matches involving South Africa and Sierra Leone, while the latter duo could only tally five
Niger, who had never previously qualified for a Nations Cup, made history despite losing 3-0 in Egypt on Saturday thanks to Article 14.1 of Caf’s 2012 Nations Cup ruling.
This states that ‘in case of equality of points between two or more teams after all the group matches’, the greater number of points obtained in matches between the concerned teams shall be the first deciding factor.
Niger top that three-team mini league, with their six points one superior to the tally mustered by both South Africa and Sierra Leone.
Hon Dike who spoke with sports journalists shortly after the flag off the 2024 edition of Chairman’s Football Unity Tournament at Botem Tai in Tai LGA, said the tournament is an annual event to promote peace and unity in Tai as well identify budding talents in the area for global competition.
The opening ceremony of the tournament was more like a carnival was witnessed by huge crowd including prominent indigenes of Ogoni Kingdom, sports lovers and people from all works of life.
The LGA boss revealed that special sports committee will be setup in the area to work out modalities to strengthen sports development in Tai.
He advised the participants in the tournament from various wards in the LGA to play the game by the rules and conduct themselves in a peaceful and orderly manner and use the opportunity to showcase their talents.
Hon Dike further disclosed that his administration will also give priority attention to skills development among the youth to enhance their human capacity and promote enterprise development in the area.
Earlier in his address the Chairman of Tai LGA Football Council, Elder Wisdom Gorgor said the annual football competition has been a unifying factor in Tai LGA that need to be sustained to forge more unity and development in the area.
He urged the participants to see the competition as an opportunity to embrace football as a full career and earn sustainable livelihood.
Elder Gorgor who commended the Chairman of Tai LGA, Hon Dike for his visionary leadership and tremendous development achievements recorded in the LGA under his administration, appealled to the Chairman to build a Mini Sports Stadium in the area to promote sporting activities.
The training was held at the Sani Abacha Stadium Indoor Basketball Court in Kano last Saturday.
According to the Vice President and Head of NBA Nigeria, Gbemisola Abudu, the event was part of the league’s commitment to growing broader basketball ecosystem in Nigeria and making the game more accessible across the country.
“Our first Jr. NBA clinic in Kano speaks to our commitment to growing the game in Nigeria and creating more opportunities for boys and girls to learn and play the game,” Abudu said.
“Nigeria has a rich basketball history and abundance of talent, which is evident every time you watch an NBA game. We look forward to continuing to engage with basketball stakeholders, business leaders and members of the community to further the game’s reach and impact on young people around the country,” she added.
The 2024 basketball initiative clinics of NBA Nigeria also included the league’s inaugural Jr. NBA elite camp for 150 boys and age-16 girls held at the American International School in Lagos in July.
Others include the NBA’s building of 1,000 courts in Africa over the next decade, Nigeria’s Festival Coins and Salubata named the top two winning businesses at NBA Africa Triple-Double Accelerator’s inaugural Demo Day in New York City held last September, and the third edition of “NBA Meets Art,” a curated installation celebrating basketball through the lens of Nigerian art and culture as part of West Africa’s premier art fair Art X Lagos, held in November.
Central to this vision is the federation’s investment in capacity building, evident in the just-concluded one-week Level 1 Badminton World Federation (BWF) Coaching Course, which marked a significant milestone for Nigerian badminton.
Held in Abuja, the course brought together 13 young coaches from across Nigeria. The last time such a course was held in the country was in 2017, making this a historic and transformative step.
The training was facilitated by the Badminton Confederation of Africa (BCA) in partnership with the Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN) and conducted by Dr. Ahmed Radah, the BCA Development Manager.
Radah, impressed by the talent he witnessed, praised Nigeria’s potential.
“Nigeria is blessed with immense talent and a strong badminton tradition. I believe this country has what it takes to dominate on the global stage,” he remarked.