Sports
NFF Blasts CAF Electoral System
President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Aminu Maigari, says CAF must change it’s structures to allow the best to join the group.
Aminu Maigari, President of the Nigeria Football Federation, has said that CAF must change it’s structures to allow the best to join the group that runs the continental game.
On Sunday in Morocco, Maigari lost his bid to join the CAF Executive Committee to Benin’s Moucharafou Anjorin.
Three years ago, the Beninoise was removed from his position as FA president and spent time in prison over allegations that he misappropriated around $650 000 in sponsorship money.
“I am proud of the campaign we conducted. But it is time that African football begins to put in place a structure that will allow the best to emerge onto the CAF Executive Committee,” Maigari said in what is nothing short of a veiled criticism of CAF.
The NFF president has a point. Also voted in is the disgraced former FIFA Executive Committee member, Amadou Diakite.
The Malian was handed a two-year ban from all football activities by FIFA after being found guilty of ethical violations of the FIFA code, for his attempt to manipulate the vote for the 2018/2022 World Cup hosts.
He defeated Hassan Musa Bility and Augustin Senghor, presidents of the Liberian and Senegal federations respectively, in Sunday’s vote.
Maigari, Vice President of CAF’s West B zone and member of the FIFA Players’ Status Committee insisted that he is not bitter, and advocated for Nigeria to get a special place on the Exco.
“The poll was an experience and I have no hard feelings. That’s what life is all about. You learn every day.
“Nigeria football is big, not only because we are the current champions of Africa at both junior and senior levels, but also as a result of what we have achieved in the past, on and off-the-field.
“It is my considered view that Nigeria should always be considered for a seat on the Executive Committee,” said Maigari.
At the General Assembly of the Confederation of African Football in the Moroccan city, the NFF President polled 17 votes in the first round as against 27 for Anjorin and only nine for Hima Souley, a former President of the Niger Football Federation.
However, as CAF rules stipulated that simple majority would be 28 votes, Anjorin failed to emerge as outright winner in the first round and a run-off was called between himself and Maigari.
A lot of serious politicking and horse-trading went on in the auditorium before the second round, which Maigari lost 19-35.
England captain Harry Kane netted a hat-trick to guide Bayern Munich to an impressive victory against Stuttgart.
Kane’s goals, plus one from Kingsley Coman, helped Bayern end a three-game winless run in all competitions.
They faced a tough task against a Stuttgart side who sat back and limited their chances, leading Vincent Kompany’s side to enter the break frustrated and with the deadlock unbroken.
Bayern eventually found a way past Stuttgart’s steely defence when Kane drilled a low effort into the bottom corner from around 30 yards out after Joshua Kimmich overturned possession.
Former Nigeria goalkeeper, Dosu Joseph, is full of thanks to God after he miraculously survived another life-threatening automobile accident recent at Kara, along the Lagos-Ibadan Express Way, where a heavy-duty truck ran into his SUV.
Narrating his ordeal, the 51-year-old, who guided Nigeria to gold in the Men’s Football Tournament of the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, broke the news in a statement on his social media handles on Friday.
“To God be the glory, another death escaped by Grace and Mercy of God. Me and my friend SM were at Enyo Filling Station after Ojodu Berger bus stop to get fuel on Wednesday, October 2, 2024, around 6 p.m. when this MACK truck fully loaded with iron, with registration number LND 470 XX, left the road and crushed my car beyond repairs. Thank God for life,” he stated.
This is the second time the soft-spoken club proprietor will cheat death by a whisker, having been involved in an accident in 1997 that ended his career at 23 and left his spinal cord in bad shape.
He helped Julius Berger win the Nigeria FA Cup in November 1997 shortly a memorable Olympic outing by keeping a clean sheet in the finals against Katsina United. The following year, he was involved in the auto along Ikorodu Road, Lagos, which not only cut his career short but also left him almost paralysed, ending his spell at Serie A club Reggiana.
The former Nigeria international, who also kept goal for Julius Berger FC, said the case has been reported to Isheri Police Station, Ogun State, where the driver is currently detained and the truck also seized.
According to him, the owner of the truck said he can’t fix the badly damaged SUV until after a year.
Ex – Super Eagles of Nigeria, Okwuchukwu Waobikeze has observed that sports development in Nigeria is going down.
According to him, grassroots sports is very important, without it, the administrators cannot get it right. So everybody should key into grassroots sports development, he said.
Waobikeze said this last Wednesday in an interview with sports journalists shortly after the Port Harcourt All Stars Independence football festival (OCTOBERFEST) at the Port Harcourt club, Rivers State.
He explained that for sports administrators to get it right, grassroots development is key. “They should be organising competition at the grassroots level to fish out the young ones for different sporting activities.
“Grassroots sports is very important so the administrators have to go back to the grassroots.
” Sports Development in Nigeria is going down we need to go back to the basics.
“Look at the just concluded Paris Olympics, Nigeria did not win any medal.
” Our football team did not even qualify for the Olympics. We are going down.
” If they should go back to the grassroots, they will get young ones in the games and talents will be developed.
” I started from school games, to youth games before playing for the national team. Now everybody wants to fly board to play professional football and a lot do not know the basics of the game.
” A lot of people did not know the little things about the game, they just want to play. It is not done so,” Waobikeze stated.
Kiadum Edookor