Governing Bodies
Mexico adventure is exposure programme for domestic players, says Pinnick
The plan of the Nigeria Football Federation to get the Super Eagles B exposed to high grade international games to improve their level of confidence and aptitude remains in place, despite the defeat by Mexico’s ‘A’ Team in Los Angeles on Saturday, President of the NFF, Amaju Melvin Pinnick has stated.
Pinnick, also a Member of the FIFA Council, has also counselled the players to discountenance the high-score defeat and rather take to heart the great lessons of the encounter, while embracing the fact that they need such games to come to great stead and be able to compete creditably at international level.
“There is nothing that has happened here that will discourage us from pushing ahead with the plan we have for the team,” Pinnick said after the match watched by an impressive 53,258 spectators inside the LA Coliseum in the State of California.
“Our programme to get the team to a higher level through regular exposure to the toughest games possible will continue apace.
“I believe the players gave their best in the encounter, and the result could have been different if we didn’t concede those early goals and we took our chances that came immediately after.
“The difference was in greater experience and much more exposure, and nothing stops our boys from standing up to the Mexicans with a number of games under their belts in the next few months.”
Star –studded El Tri mined immense psychological advantage from scoring two goals in the opening four minutes as Nigeria’s defenders were still settling into the encounter.
Livewire Anayo Iwuala muffed an opportunity and tripped on another, and El Tri went ahead to score two second half goals to wrap up the tie.
“I am strongly of the belief that the players should be commended for their efforts in the game. They did not just lie down to slaughtered. They put up a fight and were only unlucky.
“We will go ahead and deliver on the programme we have for them to be a much stronger team, as we look forward to the next African Nations Championship.”
The squad could make a return to the USA in a few months as the cooperation agreement between the NFF and the Government of State of Maryland starts to take shape.
Pinnick (on behalf of the NFF) and the Lieutenant Governor Boyd Rutherford (on behalf of the Government of State of Maryland) last week signed a cooperation agreement based on shared vision and shared values and with the pillar of mutual understanding for rapid development.
The delegation of Super Eagles B is expected back in Nigeria on Wednesday morning.
Bronze medallists at the third edition of the CHAN in South Africa in 2014, the Super Eagles B won silver as runners-up at the fifth edition in Morocco in 2018, but failed to qualify for the 2020 finals played in Cameroon early this year as a result of the disruption to international calendar by the global coronavirus pandemic.
The qualifying matches for the seventh edition of the CHAN, to be staged in Algeria, are scheduled to begin before the end of the year.
The president of the Confédération of African Football, Dr. Patrice Motsepe, has announced five new CAF Vice Presidents. They are:
- CAF First Vice President: Mr Fouzi Lekjaa (Morocco)
- CAF Second Vice President: Mr Kurt Okraku (Ghana)
- CAF Third Vice President: Mr Pierre-Alain Mounguengui (Gabon)
- CAF Fourth Vice President: Ms Bestine Kazadi Ditabala (Democratic Republic of Congo)
- CAF Fifth Vice President: Mr Feizal Sidat (Mozambique)
In addition, the CAF President has co-opted Yacine Idriss Diallo, President of Fédération Ivoirienne de football, into the CAF Executive Committee.
The CAF Executive Committee also approved the names to fill vacant positions on several CAF Committees.
Organising Committee for the African Nations Championship (CHAN)
- President: Pierre-Alain Mounguengui (Gabon)
CAF Technical and Development Committee
- President: Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon)
- Vice President: Malouche Belhassen (Tunisia)
CAF Medical Committee:
- President: Dr. Mohammed Bouya (Mauritania)
- Vice President: Dr. Thulani Ngwenya (South Africa)
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Governing Bodies
Nigeria becoming an epicentre of global badminton as Francis Orbih enters the Badminton World Federation Council
Laurels on the courts and now glory in the boardroom sums up the mark that badminton is making in Nigeria.
The President, Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN), Francis Orbih, has been elected as a council member of the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
The election took place during the BWF Annual General Meeting on Saturday in Xiamen, China.
Orbih emerged victorious over top contenders from other African countries.
He will join Cameroon’s Odette Assembe Engoulou on the council, while Chipo Zumburani (Zimbabwe) and Hadia ElSaid (Egypt) missed out.
An elated Orbih expressed his gratitude to fellow badminton presidents across the globe for their trust and support.
He said, “I am deeply honoured by the trust placed in me by my peers across the badminton world.
“I look forward to quality representation, driving development initiatives, and strengthening badminton’s global reach over the next four years.”
Orbih also acknowledged the support of the Federal Government of Nigeria, particularly the National Sports Commission (NSC), which he said played a significant role in his successful bid.
“The Chairman and the Director General of the NSC monitored the entire process. I’m grateful for their involvement and confident Nigeria will benefit from this,” he stated.
He further appreciated the BFN board members and the Nigerian badminton community for their prayers and continued belief in his leadership.
“From the day I declared my intentions, the board members of BFN have been supportive, and I promise not to disappoint them,” Orbih concluded.
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A former member of the FIFA Council, Mamoutou Toure, has been released from jail in Mali after almost two years in detention for alleged corruption, Malian media reports said on Wednesday.
Toure, president of the Malian Football Federation since 2019, was released after 622 days in prison on Tuesday.
He served on the FIFA Council, world football’s all-powerful decision-making body, for four years until last month when he lost his seat after failing to contest new elections.
The 67-year-old was arrested in August 2023 on allegations of embezzling $28 million of public funds but was granted a provisional release order by the Malian courts, reports said.
He was accused of misconduct during his time as the National Assembly’s financial and administrative director from 2013-2019.
Toure denied all charges and, during his time in jail, was last August re-elected as Malian Football Federation president for a second consecutive term, with his supporters claiming he was a victim of a conspiracy fuelled by detractors.
While in jail, he received a letter of support from FIFA president Gianni Infantino. However, as of last month, Toure is no longer a member of the FIFA Council or the Confederation of African Football’s executive committee.
-Reuters
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