PROJECTION OF NIGERIA REFEREES FOR 2026 WORLD CUP

A top notch referee only appear at the world cup with the help and assistance of the country's FA, the continent football authority and overall FIFA in training and developmental programs.

In the case of Nigeria absent from the various level of world cup finals, there is need for the NFF referees committee and NRA to help put in place measures that will help Nigeria to hoist its flags at the continental and world levels.

The likes of Amao Opeyemi and Baba Abel by now could have taking over from retired Peter Edibe that represented Nigeria at the last nations cup and only missed out from the world cup party due to the number of assistant referee slot for Africa .

Though Opeyemi was at the last All African game before his badge was retrieved by the NFF referees committee , I "wondered" why they didn’t allow him to continue with his development , because most of his fellow referees from other countries for the same game were at the last CHAN nations cup, if Opeyemi had made the nations cup there could have been hope of the country aiming for the 2022 world cup because that would have put him on the FIFA list .

If Abel Baba's steady progress is followed as it is now, am sure we could see him in the 2019 nations cup.

Surprisingly I seem not to understand why the training and development of UDOH ANIETE Ferdinand is on hold, what I mean by training and development is that, this season in Nigeria I can list out the number of games handed out to him for officiating in the league and federation cup, this is someone that was in the last U17 Africa nations cup, with this I would have expected the authority saddled with the training and development of referees to take maximum advantage of his steady growth in CAF listing and project the young referees.

The same has to be said for Azeez Orowole , Ago Abubakar, their training and development need to be stepped up if we are to even think of flying our flag at the highest level of Africa football tournament and probably at the world cup too, I know presently we have them officiating in the preliminary stages of all CAF and FIFA qualifying games, however, this is not enough for them to project themselves and make a steady progress to the centre stage .

WAYWARD WAYS OF NFF REFEREES COMMITTEE APPOINTMENT

Facts have started emanating from different quarters why match officials appointment went offline for about four games and made a returned for match day 27 of the NPFL.

With facts gathered it's cleared that the NFF Referees Committee went silent on appointment posting online for all to see as it was regularly done from match day 1 as to create a window for some referees that failed the mid season fitness test in Abuja earlier this year.

Such cases were traced to some referees on match day 26 were the centre referee for Plateau utd vs Akwa utd and the reserved referee for Ikorodu utd vs FC Ifeanyi Ubah are among the culprits gathered from the investigation.

This was the reason the re-run test scheduled for Wednesday 21/07/2016 had to be cancelled so that these referees will not be seen to be participating in the re-run as they earlier failed in the mid-season fitness test that was held in Abuja for premiership referees.

It's obvious that with such practice the Nigeria referee can not move to Eldorado as such practice will only slow down the growth and development of good referees, who are suppose to represent the country in international games.

We need to cut down the number of grade 1, premiership referees in Nigeria for us to be able to get the development and training of referees.

RANGERS OPEN UP THE GAP

This year league is getting more interesting with just 9 matches to go, the contenders are now being separated from the pretenders as shown by league table.

Over the weekend Rangers were in Uyo, they defeated the home team by 3-2 goals in a match Imama Amapakabo described as "Christmas came early" for his team.

The match of the week played in Port Harcourt between the Nigeria league arch-rival Enyimba int’l FC and Kano Pillars ended in a victory for the Aba side, as they defeated the Baba Ganaru led team by 2-1.

Wikki Tourists of Bauchi stepped up their game against a struggling Niger Tornadoes, and they picked up a point on the road which is enough to close up the three points gap between them and league leader Rangers int’l.

MFM FC played behind closed doors at the Agege stadium without their Agege fans and were able to used their fortress to massive, even though Ebere Obi was outstanding in goals for Heartland FC during the 90 minutes game, he cleared so many changes made by MFM FC and had a penalty saved in a game that produced four penalties.

MFM FC won by 2-0 with both goals coming from the penalty spot, Stephen Odey converted one of the penalties to take his season tally to 8 goals, the young lad has being impressive so far in his first season in the premiership.

Here are the remaining match day 27 results as complied ;

Akwa United 2-3 Enugu Rangers

Nasarawa United 3-0 Sunshine Stars

Niger Tornadoes 1-1 Wikki Tourists

Enyimba FC 2-1 Kano Pillars

MFM FC 2-0 Heartland FC

FC Ifeanyi Ubah 1-0 Elkanemi Warriors

Abia Warriors 1-0 Warri Wolves

Rivers United 2-0 Shooting Stars

Lobi Stars 1-0 Plateau United

IMAMA AMAPAKABO “CHRISTMAS CAME EARLY”

Keeping it real that’s the style adopted by Rangers int’l as we coast home to the end of the season, as the team is taking the game one after the other as they come.

They took the game to their host from the blast of the whistle which made the home team within few minutes into the game to get confused as there was a mixed up between Harrison Ibukun and Olufemi Kayode.

From there on Rangers were in control of the game, even though fortune ominiwari brace could not save his team from the home defeat.

In the words of the Akwa united state FA chairman “you win some and lose some, it is a game of football, and the game against Warri Wolves is a closed door game the team must step up their game and at lease take a point from the game”

In the words of Imama, “thank God today Christmas came early they gave us a goal that kept us in the game”.

Rangers int’l of Enugu won the game by a 3 – 2 goals and moved back to the submit of the log opening a 3 points lead pending the outcome of the game in Lokoja between Niger Tornadoes and Wikki tourist of Bauchi.

NTTF TO HOLD A DAY TOURNAMENT IN LAGOS

The top 32 male players across the country have been listed for the monthly invitational table tennis championship scheduled to hold in Lagos on Sunday July 17.

The one-day championship holds at Lagos Country Club in Ikeja on Sunday July 17 and it has been sanctioned by the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF).

According to the organisers of the competition, the championship is meant to keep the players busy as well as to unearth more talents for the country.

The tournament is sponsored by Friends of Table Tennis and it is expected to hold monthly at same venue.

 In a statement issued ahead of the championship, the organisers said that the monthly tournament will afford Nigerian players opportunity to be match ready at all time and also will afford NTTF  the opportunity for talent discovery. 

It is hope that other lovers of the game will take a cue from this and support the sport that has continued to regain its lost glory in the country.

Among the players listed for the competition are Segun Ajetunmobi, Kazeem Makanjuola, National Sport Festival champion, Hammed Adeyinka, Gbenga Ajulo and a host of others

3SC IN PORT HARCOURT TO PROVE A POINT

Interesting match as Shooting stars will want to prove a point to football followers about the Federation Cup defeat to Rivers United midweek .

Both teams will meet again this weekend for NPFL match day 27 in Port Harcourt in what promise to be a supremacy match.

The Ogunbote led team needs all the points they can gather either home or away to stay off the drop zone, but in Port Harcourt in front of Rivers United fans, it's a mission impossible as Rivers United are also not leaving any stone unturned in aiming for all points to be able to qualify for the continent next season.

Enyimba int’l will be hosting arch rivals Kano pillars in what many as termed match of the week, both teams will want to show their supremacy over each other as they clash this weekend.

Pillars this season have not be playing the best of football as the are known for in the past three seasons but the Sai Masu Gida boys do know how to turn on the heat when it comes to playing Enyimba int’l of Aba.

With the Aba side playing home away from home in Port Harcourt I hope they will be able to sustain the heat Kano Pillars will unleash on them.

Akwa United will host joint league leaders Rangers int’l in the nest of champions in Uyo in what promise to be a winner takes all.

Rangers need all the points they can muster to continue their excellent run in the league and keep a tab on joint league topper , even though they lost to second division club in the Federation Cup, they are determined to keep soaring high to achieve success this season.

Other fixtures for the weekend are as follows

MATCH DAY 27 FIXTURES

Nasarawa United vs Sunshine Stars

Rivers United vs Shooting Stars

FC Ifeanyi Ubah vs El Kanemi Warriors

MFM FC vs Heartland FC

Enyimba Int’l FC vs Kano Pillars

Lobi Stars FC vs Plateau United

Akwa United vs Rangers Int’l

Abia Warriors vs Warri Wolves

Niger Tornadoes vs Wikki Tourists

CROWN FC ADVANCED TO QUARTER FINAL

Rangers int’l known as flying Antelope were shown the way out of this year federation cup on Tuesday by Crown FC of Ogbomoso.

The Ogbomoso side won by two goals to one.

Shooting Stars of Ibadan were shown the exit by a rejuvenated Rivers United, even though both side finished the game in regular time goalless, the Port Harcourt side won on penalties by 3-2 goals.

Wikki tourist showed supremacy on Plateau United as the team won by a lone goal to send the Jos team packing out of this year's federation cup.

Last year finalist Akwa United had to win on penalties to advanced to this year's quarter final as sunshine stars prove to stubborn to handle.

2016 Federation Cup Round 16 Results:

Dynamite Force 0-1 Nasarawa United.

FC IfeanyiUbah 2-0 Katsina United.

Rivers United 0-0 Shooting Stars [3-2 pen].

Warri Wolves 1-1 Prime FC [8-7 pen].

Wikki Tourists 1-0 Plateau United.

Crown FC 2-1 Rangers Int'l.

Akwa United 0-0 Sunshine Stars [7-6 pen].

Elkanemi Warriors 1-1 Enyimba Int'l. [1-4 pen].

CAN CROWN FC CONTINUE THEIR IMPRESSIVE RUN

                                      

Can Crown fc withstand the firepower of Rangers int’l has the two lock horns in Kaduna today for the round of 16 match of the Federation Cup.

The last time the two clubs met was two seasons away in the NPFL .

The two young coaches, Osho Fatai has coached Supreme Court FC, Kogi United and Remo Stars FC in the past while Imama Amapakabo was once with Sharks FC, Enyimba int’l and now Rangers int’l.

A quote from Imama on behave of the young coaches, "I worn my bears for 6months last season to show that we the young coaches have grown to take charge".

NTTF PLANS TO HOST NIGERIA OPEN

In continuation of its 2016 calendar, the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) is planning to stage a six-day national competition tagged Nigeria Open Championships.

Over nine events will be competed at the N2m prize money championship holding at the National Training Centre in National Stadium.

  To give junior players the opportunity to test strength with their senior counterparts, the tournament will have junior team and singles events as well as singles, team, and doubles events in the senior category.

For the President of NTTF, Wahid Oshodi, the tournament is meant to complement efforts being made by the federation to unearth talents.

  “The tournament is meant to complement our efforts at ensuring the players are in top shape at all times. The Federation is also seeking the next generation of national team players at both senior and junior levels. We must have players ready to challenge and take over from the likes of Segun Toriola. Our junior  team has done exceedingly well over the last couple of years but we have discovered new very young players at our U-16 League and during the Premier Lotto Nigeria Open and this will be another opportunity for our coaches to assess them.  We need to keep the players busy. We still have a busy schedule after the Olympics till the end of the year with the African Senior Championships, World Junior Championships, Clubs League, second phase of the U-16 League and the Presidents Cup, so we must continue our development and ensure we have programmes to develop our players coaches administrators and umpires,” the NTTF boss said.

  According to the tournament prospectus, states and clubs wishing to participate shall be registered with the NTTF and due to logistics, only the states that meet the deadline for submission of entries shall be accepted to participate with each team made up of three players.

“Only players registered by States which are affiliated to the NTTF are eligible to participate. All players shall hold the current NTTF Player’s License, which must be produced on demand.

States and clubs shall ensure that their players are properly registered for the Championships by completing the registration form obtainable from the Secretary of NTTF, attaching one passport photograph of each player to the completed form,” the prospectus stated.

For the team event, the Olympic format will be used in order to acquaint the players with the new system. The team event shall be played in Groups of round robin followed by a knock-out stage. All matches shall be best of five games.

  The singles events shall be on knock-out basis with matches from the preliminary rounds up to the round of 32 shall be best of five games. Doubles events shall be on knock-out basis and shall be best of five games.

FLYING EAGLES ONE LEG IN ZAMBIA AS SUDAN CRUMBLED

Nigeria’s U20 squad, Flying Eagles have one leg in the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations in Zambia after a marvelous display that saw the team come from a goal down to beat Sudan’s U20 team 2-1 in Omdurman on Sunday.

Coach Emmanuel Amuneke’s side, much used to winning, asked so many questions of the Sudanese defence early on, and forward Victor Osimhen, record scorer of the FIFA U17 World Cup, rocked the home team’s upright in the 26^th minute as the going got more serious in the first leg of the final qualifying fixture at the El Merriekh Stadium.

However, the home team got in front a minute later, against the run of play, challenging Amuneke’s U17 world champions to dig deep and fashion a comeback on the night.

The Junior Falcons held onto their lead until the break, but nimble –footed Samuel Chukwueze equalized for Nigeria in the 67^th minute. The slippery left –footed winger nearly put Nigeria in front minutes later but was thwarted by the Sudanese goalie.

Osimhen, who got the Flying Eagles in front against Burundi in Calabar in the last round, through a well –taken penalty kick, would have the last laugh by scoring Nigeria’s winner in the 86^thminute. He came close to making it 3-1 in injury time but his shot was smothered by the goalkeeper.

The return leg will take place at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos on Sunday, July 24.  

NIGERIA NATIONAL LEAGUE TABLE GROUP A

NIGERIA NATIONAL LEAGUE TABLE GROUP B

End of first stanza and here is how the log looks like after 7 matches 

AKWA UNITED A WORK IN PROGRESS

AKWA-IBOM STATE FA CHAIRMAN DESCRIBES THE STATE-OWNED TEAMS AS A WORK IN PROGRESS

The Chairman, Akwa Ibom state Football Association Mr Emmanuel Iba has described the performances of the state-owned teams as a work in progress in his nine months reign at the helm of affairs of football in the state. 

Mr Iba told Palace Deities "It's being work in progress,you can see that I just came in. This is about nine months. I got the federation cup. The finals of the federation cup was too wonderful. During my time,we have had the super four. I think we are making progress and we will continue to do so.

To the fans out there,continue to have faith in our own football. This is the only state in the entire federation that has five teams playing every weekend. We have a team in the Amateur one,we have two teams in the pro league,the female team in the NWFL and Akwa United playing in the NPFL. So for a state to shoulder five teams in the league every week is something encouraging. The crime rate has reduced because the young ones are engaged".

Speaking further on Akwa united's round of 16 federation's cup clash against Sunshine stars :- " We are the defending champions. We have something at-stake and our pride in place so there is no way we will not put in all for the game".

Q & A WITH PAUL BASSEY BY EKIKEREOBONG (PART 3)

PAUL BASSEY SPEAKS ON THE EFFICACY OF FORMAL EDUCATION ACQUISITION IN THE PROFESSION OF FOOTBALL

The Chairman of Akwa United F.C has described football as a profession and if not managed properly becomes a waste.

"It is a profession just like other professions and persons should know that. A young man who wants to play football must be disciplined and then most importantly you must get some level of education. I find out that most of those footballers who did not go to school are more difficult and are most tenable to discipline. Even when a coach talks to them they don't absorb fast enough. If you are lucky, you play for ten years, after that your legs can't carry you anymore. Injury can stop you before then. So you must be able to have a fallback. That is what some education will do to you". 

"Some of them earn as much as 400 to 600 thousand. Put some structures in place and for those who are married,set up a family". 

"There's a lot that's why I am saying that for me being a chairman of a club is just more than playing on the field of play. Those boys, I am responsible for them like a Father. I have about 42 players who I must guide through life in one way or the other and make them realize that today they are footballers,what happens tomorrow and so on", he said. 

The member of the NFF technical committee further describes his four months tenure so far as tough but fine.

"It's being tough but we thank God for everything. It's a big school with me as the head but so far it's fine"..

 "I want to thank the Executive Governor of Akwa Ibom State, His Excellence Udom Emmanuel, I want to thank my principal the commissioner of sports Mr Monday Uko who has been very supportive. Running a Football club in Nigeria is a baptism for me. I keep on repeating this, your judge is by the performance of the team. This is one job where the 11 boys on the field of play determines whether you are a good chairman or a bad chairman but we are happy with what is happening now though we need to do better". 

He further added "If you look at Akwa United in the past,we are fine but we believe we can be better and for me four months will not be enough to judge me and put in place all the plans I have, off the field plans such as discipline,players welfare,management service and so on. It's a whole lot. Some reforms are being structured. It has to be done. I don't believe that flagging a football club is playing football every weekend,going to the field whether you win or lose and then you move on. There should be some structures in place. They should have a credible club house,welfare facilities,transport, the benefits of an organized setup and then finally it should be a business. I mean at this level, football should be generating so much money", He added.

NIGERIA NATIONAL LEAGUE TABLE GROUP B

NIGERIA NATIONAL LEAGUE TABLE GROUP A

The league standing after match day 6 of the abridged season

Q & A WITH PAUL BASSEY BY EKIKEREOBONG (PART 2)

Paul Bassey describes Late Stephen KESHI and Late Shuaibu Amodu as role models.

A member of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) technical committee and chairman Akwa United F.C, Mr Paul Bassey has described the need for the immortalization of late coaches Stephen Keshi and Shuaibu Amodu. 

The respected FIFA and CAF match commissioner who has been invited by CAF to serve as an instructor in this month's CAF match commissioners seminar which is scheduled to hold between 11-17 July,2016 in Cairo,Egypt said "We went to sympathize with the NFF president. A big loss for us. Proposals have been put before the government. Great sons of Nigeria they are. It's something that's on the table of the Minister. Whatever we can do to immortalize them,whatever we can do to make our youths try to attain those levels which they did because we must have these men as role models".

He further added  "An upcoming young sports journalist will want to look at a Paul Bassey and pick out that outstanding factor for him to emulate. So coaches, domestic coaches,footballers wants Keshi to be a role model to not just themselves but the society at large. So it's still on the table of the NFF. I believe at the proper time we will get the final output on this".

Late Shuaibu Amodu was buried in his home town Okpella in Edo state on 11th June 2016, a day after he died according to Islamic rites. Similarly, Late Stephen KESHI will be buried on the weekend of 27th-29th July, 2016.

SAINFIET, YUSUF AND LE GUEN SHORTLISTED BY NFF

The Nigeria Football Federation has put former Ethiopian coach Tom Sainfiet, Super Eagles’ caretaker coach Salisu Yusuf and Frenchman Paul Le Guen, who once coached Cameroon, on a shortlist of candidates for the position of Super Eagles’ Head Coach.

On Friday at the Glass House, the NFF Technical and Development Committee pored over more than 20 applications before cutting the list to three.

Among those who showed interest in coaching the three –time African champions are Giovanni Solinas, Saintfiet, Hey Antoine, Mark Wotte, Yusuf, Ernesto Paulo Calvinho, Dorian Marin, Le Guen, Miodrag Jesic, Perry Hansen, Ove Pedersen, Adebayo Lateef Kola, Sylvanus Okpala, Peter Ijeh, Vladimir Petrovic-Pizon, Lodewijk de Kruif, Kenichi Yatsuhashi, Bjorn Frank Peters and Ricki Herbert.

Belgian Saintfiet, 43, coached the National Teams of Namibia, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Yemen, Malawi and Togo, and also worked with the Qatar U-17 side, Young Africans FC of Tanzania and Free State Stars FC in South Africa.

Yusuf, 54, was capped by Nigeria at U20 level, won FA Cup titles with El-Kanemi Warriors of Maiduguri as a player and coached top clubs Kano Pillars, El-Kanemi Warriors and Enyimba FC. He assisted Super Eagles’ chiefs Samson Siasia and Stephen Keshi (of blessed memory), and was caretaker coach for two friendlies that the Eagles won against Mali and Luxembourg in Europe at the end of May.

Le Guen, 52, played for Brest, Nantes and Paris Saint Germain and won 17 caps for France, before coaching Rennes, Lyon, PSG (in France) and Glasgow Rangers (in Scotland). He qualified the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon for the 2010 FIFA World Cup finals and also coached Oman.

Chairman of the Technical and Development Committee, Chris Green, toldreporters“We set a criteria with which we evaluated the nearly two dozen applications and then agreed on the three persons that we shortlisted.

“The Committee will meet on Monday, 18^thJuly 2016 to interview the shortlisted candidates and immediately name the next Super Eagles’ Head Coach.”

SOUTH-WEST DERBY IN THE NNL, AS CROWN FC FACE GATEWAY

Western derby in the national league as Crown FC will travel to the rock city to face Gateway of Abeokuta in what league watcher believed will be an explosive game .

High flying Remo Stars tutored by former international Nduka Ugbade will be hosting a tough opponent from Port Harcourt, Go-Round FC the toast of Port Harcourt city are coming to Ijebu-Ode to size up Remo Stars in what many called a make or mar for Soname boys.

Yarmalight FC will travel to Sokoto with their poor form believing on luck and hoping for their fortune to take a turn for good.

Kwara united will be in Zamfara to take on the home side, Obuh boys will be going to the game with lot of confidence but still anything can still happen in Zamfara has they may be stunned by the home team.

NIGERIA NATIONAL LEAGUE MATCH DAY 7

Division A1:

Sokoto Utd Vs FC Yarmalight

Katsina Utd Vs Kaduna Utd

Jigawa G' Stars Vs Kogi United

Shekarau Babes Vs Mighty Jets

Division A2:

FC Zamfara Vs Kwara United

Adamawa Utd Vs FC Taraba

Supreme Court Vs Wikki Tourist Feeder

Dreams Int'l FC Vs Gombe United

Division B1:

Remo Stars FC Vs Go- Round FC

Akwa Starlet FC vs COD United

Abia Comets FC Vs Prime FC

Unicem Rovers Vs Delta Force

Division B2:

ABS Ilorin FC Vs Bayelsa Utd

Cofine FC Vs Juliua Atete FC

Bendel Insurance Vs First Bank FC

Gateway Utd Vs Crown FC

REFEREES SUSPEND STRIKE ACTION

The Nigeria Referees Association has directed it's chapters to shelved of the strike action embarked on due to regular and constant attack on its members by fans of clubs in the Nigeria nationwide league.

This directive was given after the executive body of the league met with the national executive of the referees association led by Tade Azeez.

Referees will resume normal officiating from match day 6 as appointments for games are out and will be strictly adhere to.

RANGERS READY TO FLY PASS ABIA WARRIORS

The town of Enugu will once again come alive tonight as football action makes a return to the coal city.

Enugu Rangers Int'l FC may possible go back top of the league tonight as they face a wounded Abia Warriors led by Kennedy Boboye that lost in front of home fans to relegation threaten Plateau United.

Rangers in high hope after returning from Bauchi in a make or Mar game that will go a long way to determine how the league may turn on the last day.

Other fixtures for match day 26 are as follows

Enugu Rangers VS Abia Warriors

El Kanemi Warriors VS MFM FC

Heartland VS Enyimba

Ikorodu United VS FC Ifeanyi Ubah

Kano Pillars VS Lobi Stars

Plateau United VS Akwa United

Rivers United VS Niger Tornadoes

Shooting Stars VS Nasarawa United

Warri Wolves FC VS Wikki Tourist

Q & A WITH PAUL BASSEY BY EKIKEREOBONG (PART 1)

INTERVIEW SESSION WITH THE MEMBER OF THE NFF TECHNICAL COMMITTEE AND CHAIRMAN AKWA UNITED FOOTBALL CLUB MR PAUL BASSEY AS REGARDS ISSUES AROUND THE NATIONAL TEAMS.

By Ekikereobong Monday Udofia

GREETINGS :- Good evening sir. It is a privilege sitting down here with you, a member of the NFF technical committee and Chairman Akwa United F.C one on one to discuss about football here in the country

RESPONSE :- (laughs) It is not one on one because Mr Uwem is also here

QUESTION :- The draws for the third round qualifiers of the World Cup in Russia 2018 were made two Fridays ago. Nigeria were drawn alongside Cameroon,Zambia and Algeria. What's your take on this?

RESPONSE :- There are a lot of influence on paper. Football is not what is played on paper. I am not one that will say there are no more minors in football.NO they are. When I saw that draw on Friday,in-fact the president of the NFF called me and said "Paul,it's tough", I said "yes president,it can be tough but Nigeria can win. I am looking at a football where with due respect to the shooting stars that are down and out,with whom we go visiting and we bash them 3-0 and at the European championship where teams like Iceland are at the round of 16,a country of barely 300,000 persons,that's football for you. Just as we are thinking Algeria will give us tough time,Nigeria is also a force to reckon with in Africa.All we need do is to put our house in order,get a coach as soon as possible whether is a foreigner or indigenous and then work on the array of young talents we have. Not for a very long time,we got the type of quality we have presently in Nigeria. Thanks to the re-emergence of successes of some World Cup entries at the u-17 level and credible outings at the u-20 and u-23 level and then suddenly in Europe,there are lots of credible performances by Nigerians even by birth,so I am not scared. I want to believe that anytime I look back to the team that played Egypt in Kaduna and Cairo,I have a lot of hope. I didn't go to the match against Mali and Luxembourg but all we need to do is to get a good coach and identify a World Cup team. It's not as if we are not going to bring a coach who will start working on which team we have and all that,the team that played Egypt in kaduna,Toulon tournament,Mali and Luxembourg but incidentally Siasia has penciled down about six of them for the olympics,we should bring a coach to work on that team and I believe strongly that Nigeria will be the team to beat in the group

QUESTION :- You talked about the team that played against Egypt and the man in charge of that team then was Coach Siasia . Would you say probably he is an option for the Super Eagles Job? 

ANSWER :- Putting in what we have done,in the last meeting of the technical committee we said lets hope on the side, we are not in an era where we need to impose anybody as the coach of the Super Eagles. We select those who want to coach. The technical committee in the next one week or so will be summoned to give their decision. If we bring somebody from abroad, he must be by far better than those we have here in the country,so whether it's Siasia or whoever it is,let us appoint a coach because October is just around the corner.

QUESTION :- Bringing in a foreign coach who isn't familiar with the Nigerian terrain,style of play and all that,don't you think just watching tapes by such coaches won't be enough material to understanding the type of play here in the country?

ANSWER :- We have had some disappointments with domestic coaches. The concept of appointment here involves someone that is technically sound and knowledgable. All we need is a good coach. Before Amodu died, I remember at one point in time we wanted him to tinker with the team for the time being pending when a substantive coach is named but before you know it the press jumped at it and said we were recycling coaches. Then there is a factor I hate so much to think about,the factor of non-respect for indigenous coaches because they know us,where we were born and then there is no respect. Second is the earning power, gone are the days players will come in from abroad with dollars in their pockets and dictate to the coach which player should be or should not be in the team. Gone are the days when agents will come and do same, I mean that's a distraction. One of the things that we did in the technical committee meeting is that we looked into allegations of bribery by agents of Nigerian team coaches. Which Nigerian coach will go above the temptation of the 6 million bribe in order to feature a player but foreigners will come here and earn 3,4,5 million and stand their ground no matter what, so there a lot of factors that works against domestic coaches. When was the last time they updated themselves. How current are they with coaching techniques? If I tell you now to mention Nigerian coaches,I am sure that by the time you get to 3 you will pause. So those are the main reasons why we don't border what country the coach is coming from so long as he is quality,as long as he is current and has what it takes especially with the knowledge of African Football.

QUESTION :- So are you saying the likes of Salisu Yusuf, Imama Amakpakabo and Kennedy Boboye are not options for the Super Eagles Job?

ANSWER :- All the coaches are options, our file is open. If you want to coach the Super Eagles, Apply and we will look at it. In-fact even when we decide we want a foreign coach,what we insisted on is that the assistant coach should be indigenous. In the case where we bring in a coach from abroad,he may come in with the assistants that he wants because they understand him better but we have always been given the opportunity to have assistants who will benefit from the impact of these foreign coaches technically and at the end,he leaves as a better and experienced coach.

QUESTION:- You talked about the technical committee clamping down on coaches who takes bribe from players who want to play in the national team. What steps have your technical committee taken so far to this regard to curb the situation?

ANSWER:- We did a lot of investigations to the best of our ability and so far we didn't get any proof but we issued out a warning. "If there is any coach that is proven to have done that, of course you will be thrown out and publicly disgraced". We did warn them. Some of the coaches said they are being victimized and that it's not true. They said that there are players who because you drop them go around creating the rumour that they didn't have money to give you . I have always said this although we are in a terrible country in quote, I don't see any coach who will drop a very good player because you didn't pay him money because coaches need very good players and players who can play that will help them. So for somebody to say that I am very good but i was dropped because I didn't have money to bribe a coach is very troubling. I know it happens in the past where some coaches have been influenced to bring in such but they are like bench players. The coach will bring them in and put them on the bench but who is that coach that will throw out a very good player because his agent or player did not have money to bribe him? So many allegations were looked into at the u-23, u-20 and u-17 level and so far we found them to be baseless but we are on our toes and we have told these coaches to beware so that we won't have such things reoccur either in rumour form or whatever form.

QUESTION :- Finally on the Super Eagles Coaching Job, When do we expect a naming to this regard?

ANSWER :- We have told coaches to apply, the file is open. We are waiting. Don't forget we are just a technical committee and our recommendations are going to the board which definitely will take some actions. We want to believe that the week we are going into, the NFF will act. The process of naming a coach is dependent on the board. The board receives the applications and calls in the technical committee to look at these applications and react. The technical committee will be very anxious to shortlist as soon as possible. The other option is to go head-hunting. This is the person we want and we go for it but I have always said that sometimes we need to look at someone who is interested in the job and who believes he can do it rather than go to someone who is sitting in his palace and we say "please come and coach us". It will be taking us sometime to react to it so we want to believe that the next fortnight at-most,the technical committee will have made some recommendations to the board as to who they believe is best suited to take the Super Eagles to the World Cup.

QUESTION :- How far has the technical committee gone to ensure that the dream team VI are fully prepared for the Olympics? 

ANSWER :- Very far, Very far.Despite the economic crunch, the NFF has thrown its weight behind the team. Remember they went to Brazil for a training,came back and went to North Korea for an invitational tourney and came back and are now on their way to the U.S. What else can we look for? Fortunately for Nigeria and maybe some other countries, as prestigious as the Olympic football tournament is, it is not in the football calender so most clubs are very reluctant to release their players at a time that the European League will be on except you are a fringe player or a player they can do without and that's dangerous for the player. As it stands, the mikels' , Iwobis' and Iheanachos' of this world who are in the plans of Siasia may not be available because of those pedigrees but apart from that we saw the list released by the coach,his program,training and everything was approved so there is a limit to what we can do. As the NFF, do your bits and just believe that at the end of the day,the players will do theirs on the field of play. At the youth level,we have always had very good result, Suwon international invitational,terrible but fine it's good it happens now. For the coach and players,let them know that it's going to be tough out there so it's better we lose now and try to make amends and fix it up before Brazil. 

QUESTION :- Looking at the female national teams, the Super Falcons, Falconets and Flamingoes participating at the AWCON, U-20 and U-17 World Cup respectively, what have the preparations for these teams being like, knowing fully well that the male national teams preparing for tournaments receives better treatment than the female lads? Why these discrepancies? 

ANSWER :- No discrepancies, maybe disparity. Nigeria is a bit better. All over the world,apart from Europe countries like the U.S, Sweden and others, I challenge you, you have a match here in Nigeria,say a Super Falcons match,you may not count up to 2,000 spectators present. The Super Eagles already have a lot of sponsors,large sponsors with the banking,kit,beverage industry and so on. What I am trying to say is that from these sponsors,you can take care of their bonuses but when it comes to the Women's game,you have to look out for one to be able to do that. That is the Fact. I am not saying it is an excuse but I don't foresee the women game being at par worldwide. The World-cup is in a class of its own in terms of sponsorship, follower-ship and so on.We can hardly compare.The Women game at whatever level even in countries that have women football federations, you will come and go without notice and so I try not to compare although on record, the women have had more successes than the men but those successes are limited. If you like win the World Cup every year, the semi-final in the men's game will attract more produce and more follower-ship. We have to accept this for what it is. This NFF has tried to be able to do better than its predecessors but they are limited. I am sure that you have also heard for instance that this Super Eagles when they come next time, whatever bonuses that will be paid will be in Naira. In-fact we are even introducing performance based bonuses. In other words,don't expect that for every match you come and go,we give you bonus. We are going to link it to your performance. Maybe if you don't get to suffer, you are not going to get anything. That's exactly what is done in Europe. It's not about money,money,money. There should also be some conscience that you are representing your country and put in something at the end of the day. So it's that bad. I am not saying it's going to be worse now for the women game but this NFF will try to up the women game. We will look for sponsors to try to take care of their bonuses

NO VICTOR, NO VANQUISH IN BAUCHI

The first and the second team position maintained their position before the mark or mar game which could determine how the league will go but the two teams failed to take advantage of match day 25 as they settled for a goalless draw in Bauchi.

The much talked about Lagos derby between MFM FC and Ikorodu United, which prompt the organiser of the league to waived off the closed doors game to fans in earlier days and which also brought the executive governor of the state to watch match day 25 lived up to billing as MFM FC dismantled Ikorodu utd with the youngest striker in the league Stephen Odey also recorded his name in the scorer sheet.

Both Amos Gyan and Ojo Olorunleke that were bailed out of Giwa FC had good game for their respective club, while Gyan scored Kano pillars only goal in Uyo even though they lost, Olorunleke kept clean sheet for sunshine stars against the billion club Ifeanyi Ubah.

NPFL MATCH DAY 25 RESULTS

Abia Warriors 0-1 Plateau United

Nasarawa United 1-0 Rivers United

FC Ifeanyi Ubah 0-0 Sunshine Stars

Wikki Tourists 0-0 Rangers Int'l

Enyimba Int'l 2-0 El-kanemi Warriors

Lobi Stars 2-0 Heartland FC

Niger Tornadoes 2-0 Warri Wolves

MFM FC 3-1 Ikorodu United

Akwa United 2-1 Kano Pillars.

FLYING EAGLES OFF TO SUDAN ON WEDNESDAY

Nigeria’s U20 squad, the Flying Eagles, will depart the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja aboard an Ethiopian Airways flight on Wednesday, 6^thJuly on their way to Khartoum for a 2017 Africa U20 Cup of Nations qualifying match against their Sudanese counterparts.

Coach Emmanuel Amuneke, while addressing the boys Saturday morning after their 8-0 thrashing of Oyah Sports FC of Suleja in a friendly, described the match in Sudan as ‘the mother of all battles’ and warned that the team must maintain high level of discipline and focus to surmount this final hurdle.

"Let me first congratulate you for the performance today. I am impressed with your approach to the game from start to finish. I hope we all realise the enormity of the task ahead, as we must remain focused and disciplined to achieve our aim of picking one of the seven tickets to the continental soccer showpiece," he said.

In the absence of forward Victor Osimhen who has just returned to training after injury, Orji Okonkwo has continued to fill the void, banging in two against the U23 Eagles and three on Saturday against the Suleja -based Nationwide League side.

ABS FC of Ilorin forward Kehinde Ayinde has also discovered his scoring form. The petit striker scored two as the Flying Eagles thrashed Amakson Academy 4-1on Wednesdaymorning and added another two on Saturday to take his tally to four in two matches. Left back Umar Johnson scored his first goal for the Flying Eagles and celebrated with team-mates, while second half substitutes Samuel Chukwueze and Kelechi Nwakali completed the rout to make it 8-0 in favour of the Flying Eagles.

The Emmanuel Amuneke –tutored side has played over twenty friendly matches since starting its camping in Abuja on9^thApril,drawing only two and losing none. The team will tackle a Sudanese side that is yet to kick a ball in the qualifiers following the withdrawal of second round opponent, Malawi. The match earlier fixed for Friday, 8^thJuly,has now been moved to Sunday, 10^thJulyby the Sudanese Football Federation.

The Flying Eagles will take on City Strikers of Abuja on Tuesdayevening at the mainbowl of the National Stadium, Abuja in their last friendly game before departing for Sudan.

NIGERIA NATIONAL LEAGUE MATCH DAY 6 RESULTS

DIVISION A1:

Shekarau Babes 2-1 Sokoto Utd

Mighty Jets FC 2-0 Jigawa G' Stars

Kogi united FC 0-1 Katsina Utd

DIVISION A2:

Gombe United 3-1 Supreme Court FC

Wikki Tourists Feeders FC 2-0 Adamawa Utd

DIVISION B1

Unicem Rovers 1 -0 Remo Stars FC

Delta Force FC 1-0 Abia Comets fc

PRIME FC 2-0 Akwa Starlets FC

COD United 0-0 Go-round FC

DIVISION B2

Gateway Utd 3-1 ABS FC

First bank FC 1-0 Cofine FC

J.Atete FC 1-2 Bayelsa Utd

Crown FC 2 - 1 Insurance FC

NIGERIA REFEREES ASSOCIATION GOES TOUGH ON MEMBERS ATTACK

The NRA wishes to inform State council officials and the entire members of the Association, that sequel to the pullout from the officiating of the Nationwide League matches necessitated by the attack on referees in some centres, the organisers have opened discussion on the matter and talks with the leadership have commenced.

The chairman of Nationwide League organiser has assured the NRA of better cooperation in handling the issues raised and the body is anxiously waiting for the match report of the Match Commissioners and referees concerning the incidents for necessary action.

Meanwhile, another sad incident was recorded at Nnewi, Anambra state after Sunday's match involving Ifeanyi Uba vs Sunshine Stars of Akure that ended goalless. Despite obstructions on the way to the hotel, the referee, Jerry Akure of Benue State Referees Council, was attacked in his hotel room and several valuables disposed off him by unknown miscreants whose actions are suspected to be connected to the outcome of the match. The NRA has reported the matter to LMC for necessary attention.

Similarly, a National League match venue on Saturday witnessed a threat to lives of referees after the home team, J Atete of Delta State lost to visiting Bayelsa United. There was an attempt to attack the referees before intervention came and some suspected supporters of the home side also went to the hotel premises, but thank God the referees left the premises to their destinations in good conditions.

Worried by these developments, the Tade Azeez led NRA exco is not resting on its oars at ensuring referees safety at match venues.

EX-RANGERS DEFENDER JOINS FC HEEGAN AS HEAD COACH

Felix Nwosu an Ex-rangers int’l of Enugu defender joins Solmalia premiership club, Heegan football club as new head coach.

Nwosu played in the Nigeria professional football league with Rangers international football club between 2006 and 2007, after leaving Rangers Nwosu played briefly in Kenya forGor Mahia FC,Ligi Ndogo FC and FC Talanta

Before he joined Rangers int’l, Nwosu played for court of appeal football club.

Felix Nwosu, before Heegan FC as head coach, was assistance coach with beautiful tours angels and Global impact football academy both in Abuja

In a chat with our correspondent, coach Nwosu said he intend to make sure the former Somalia league champion regain their rightful position which is submit of the league.