Sports
Fifa Appoints Samoura CAF’s Administrator
Football’s world governing body FIFA, has confirmed that its Secretary General, Fatma Samoura has been appointed ‘Fifa General Delegate for Africa’ in a bid to improve governance on the continent.
The Confederation of African Football (Caf) has recently been under scrutiny on several issues relating to both governance and administration.
Samoura, from Senegal, will take charge for six months from 1 August, with the relationship “renewable with the agreement of both organisations”.
“It was also agreed that Fifa and Caf will undertake as soon as possible a full forensic audit of Caf,” the statement added.
Samoura, 56, will remain secretary general of Fifa but will delegate various functions to others.
Fifa called the move an “exceptional and temporary measure” as it outlined the precise role the former United Nations official will take.
While Fifa is used to appointing so-called ‘Normalisation Committees’ to run member associations that require help, it is unusual for it to assist a confederation in similar difficulties.
Caf President Ahmad has been under scrutiny recently on several fronts, which include being questioned by French authorities in Paris in early June before being released without charge.
This was as “part of a probe into corruption, breach of trust and forgery” with the 59-year-old from Madasgascar dismissing all allegations against him as false.
Other recent issues include controversy relating to the African Champions League final and rescheduling the timing of the 2019, 2021 and 2023 Africa Cup of Nations finals.
He is also being investigated by Fifa’s ethics committee, whose probe will run independently and parallel to Samoura’s role, said a source with knowledge of the process.
The statement added that Ahmad proposed Fifa’s “expertise to assess the current situation in the African governing body … to ensure that Caf functions with transparency and efficiency while abiding to the highest governance”.
Assisted by several experts “in a spirit of partnership with President Ahmad and his team”, Samoura is set to:
To oversee operational management of Caf, including governance and administrative procedures
To ensure the efficient and professional organization of all Caf competitions
To support the growth and development of football in all countries and regions of Caf
These roles, which will run until at least 31 January, 2020 were approved unanimously by Caf’s Executive Committee, the statement added.
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.
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