Governing Bodies
Pinnick praises Super Eagles on taking firm control of World Cup qualification group
President of the Nigeria Football Federation, has poured encomiums on the Super Eagles for their fighting spirit in coming back from a goal down on a difficult pitch in Mindelo on Tuesday to earn three precious points that established Nigeria as firm leader of Group C of the African series for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
Victory shot the Eagles to six points, three more than second –placed Liberia, with Cape Verde and Central African Republic stuck at the bottom of the table with one point each.
“That was what I call a fighting performance. That is the universally –acknowledged ‘Nigerian spirit’. That is the attitude of champions. The pitch was not the best; the weather was not the ideal, but they remained focused on the big picture and eked a win that guaranteed all the points. Six maximum points from two matches is something to celebrate.
“Against Liberia in Lagos, they played on a wet pitch because it rained and still got the job done. Against Cape Verde, they were a goal down on an artificial turf they would rather not play on, yet they took to the task with the mentality of winners and left with the spoils. We have not won the group yet, but we are in a good place and I see us picking the ticket to the knock-out round before the final day of the group phase.”
Pinnick particularly noted that the absence of UK –based players (due to the British Government’s insistence that persons who travel to Cape Verde – which is on their red mark – must quarantine for 10 days on return to the UK) afforded the technical crew the opportunity to test a number of new blood and ascertain their readiness for the big time.
“While we would have loved to have the UK –based players on the trip, I am enamoured by the fighting spirit of those who picked shirts. They delivered with aplomb and this has certainly provided depth for the squad going forward.
“Now, we must sustain the momentum. It is important that the team is able to replicate the same strong focus, the same compact play, the same fighting spirit and the same marksmanship in the double face-off with Central African Republic early next month.”
Victor Osimhen brought Nigeria to parity after profiting from a defensive howler, 10 minutes after the hosts had taken the lead with a ferocious shot by Dylan dos Santos Tavares that screamed past the flailing hands of goalkeeper Maduka Okoye.
With 15 minutes to go, Kenny Santos Rocha spectacularly lobbed goalkeeper Vozinha for Nigeria’s winning goal when attempting a back pass.
On their way to qualifying for the FIFA World Cup Russia 2018, the Super Eagles also won their first two matches of the campaign, edging Zambia 2-1 in Ndola before hitting Algeria 3-1 in Uyo.
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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