Nigerian Football
NFF SETS MARCH 2018 FOR RELOCATION TO DANKARO HOUSE
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
The Nigeria Football Federation will in March 2018 relocate to its permanent facilities at the Package B of the National Stadium, Abuja.
The new headquarters, Dankaro House, was hurriedly commissioned on July 18, 2013, even though the previous administration and the current one lay claim to some defects in the building that needed rectification apart from the need to get befitting furniture.
Sports Village Square gathered from the president of the organisation, Amaju Pinnick that the movement will be in phases as some staff will still have to operate from the current facility at Zone 7 in Abuja.
When the movement is effected, Sports Village Square can authoritatively declare that the Dankaro House with be the fifth secretariat the football governing body would occupy since Nigeria’s independence in 1960.
In the 1960s, the football governing body operated from the then Lagos City Stadium that changed name to Onikan Stadium. By the 1970s, the secretariat moved to a prefabricated wooden complex under the eastern pavilion of the National Stadium terraces.
From there, the secretariat moved in 1991 to the twin duplex at Ogunlana Drive in Surulere Lagos which the then NFA had acquired as national team hostel in the 1960s. The twin duplex now serves as the organisation’s Lagos liaison office. On Thursday January 2, 1997, the body moved to its current location in Abuja.
The issue of an enduring secretariat for the NFF had been on long before the current administration.
The late Commodore Edwin Kentebe, as the chairman of the then NFA in 1973 claimed that his administration had plans to rebuild the two-storey block at Ogunlana Drive. The proposal remained on the drawing board till he left office that year.
Over a decade later, the then Group Captain Ikazoboh set a fund-raising committee in 1986 for a football house. The project, a five-storey building, largely of concrete, was to be within the National Stadium complex in Lagos.
Chief Nathaniel Idowu headed the committee. But before it could begin work, the committee was sacked along with the Ikazoboh’s board that established it.
The initially proposed office block for the then NFA under Anthony Ikhazoboh
In 1989, when Ikazoboh was reappointed as NFA chairman, another committee set up was headed by Alhaji Mohammed Grema. It suffered the same fate as its predecessor.
By the turn of the century, the idea of a football house seemed to have been abandoned. It never featured in the handover of succeeding administrators.
The regime of Alhaji Ibrahim Galadima on October 15, 2003 got the approval of The Goal Bureau of FIFA to build a technical centre in Abuja. The then NFA came up with an architectural design of a building tagged “The Eagle House”.
It was to incorporate a training camp. The project did not see the light of the day before the board was ousted.
The architect impression of the “Eagle House”, a proposed secretariat of the NFA under Ibrahim Galadima.
In 2012, a third architectural design of a proposed headquarters for the football governing body was unveiled. Like the technical centre which is part of the Abuja National Stadium complex, it is also part of the FIFA Goal Project in Nigeria as the approval for the construction of the federation headquarters was approved by FIFA on December 1, 2009.
According to FIFA, the project is estimated at $650,000 out of which the Goal Bureau of FIFA will pay $400,000 leaving the remaining $250,000 for the NFF to bear. But the NFF later sought for amendment to the original project and proposed a national technical centre in Bauchi.
So, in February 2012 when the foundation for the new secretariat was being laid, the credit was given to the National Sports Commission and the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on Nigeria’s participation at the World Cup 2010 as the financier.
The project estimated at N350 million is named Sunday Dankaro House, after the man with the longest tenure as the head of the Nigerian football governing body. It was under him that the country first won the African Cup of Nations in 1980.
The Sunday Dankaro House was a legacy project of Rotimi Amaechi’s Presidential Task Force.
According to a member of the PTF, Olusegun Adeniyi, the edifice is built on a gross floor area of 2,000 square metres and boasts of a helipad, a courtyard, a penthouse and a manicured park.
The ground floor has a conference room and 12 self contained offices with associate conveniences while the first floor has 14 of such offices. Also on the first floor are a big conference hall and the office of the General Secretary.
The second floor is the penthouse which accommodates office of the President. It also has two conference halls. More than two years after its completion, the NFF failed to move into the complex on account of not having the fun to furnish the offices.
Former President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and member FIFA Executive council, Amaju Pinnick, has called on the Glasshouse to give the newly appointed coach of the Super Eagles, Finidi George, its full support with his desire to having foreign personnels as back-room staff.
After weeks of speculations, George, was announced as the Super Eagles’ handler, succeeding his former boss, Jose Peseiro, who left the position after 20 months.
However, the intrigue of composition of assistant coaches has been another debate for now with the former Super Eagles winger opting for foreign staff ahead of fellow contestants for the plum job in Daniel Amokachi and Emmanuel Amuneke for the role.
Speaking to Arise TV on Thursday, Pinnick noted that the former Ajax star should be allowed to pick his preferred choice of coach to assist him, citing instances of those who have done so before him.
“For his assistants, it is very tricky. It is normal for him to demand foreign assistants if he so desires.
“Bonfrere Jo was a foreign assistant to Westerhof and later took over the job. Oliseh had a foreign assistant, Siasia had a foreign assistant. It is not new and it is not bad for him to demand the same,” Pinnick pointed out.”
Samson Siasia was cited as a Nigerian who opted for a foreign assistance while in charge of Nigerian teams – the Flying Eagles and later the Super Eagles.
He had Simon Kalika, a Dutchman as his assistant. Earlier, there have been reports that the NFF could not afford a foreign-based coach as the first team head coach but could afford a foreign-based assistant coach, which they opted for with a local head coach.
Meanwhile, in appointing a foreign coach as Finidi’s assistant, Pinnick is of the opinion that it is within the capability of the NFF.
“If there are not enough funds to achieve that, it can always be discussed with Finidi.
“Backroom staffing is more scientific right now. If he says he needs three backroom assistants, perhaps one for goalkeeper training, the others are for other positions.
“The assistant coaches are the engine room of the success of any coach because they see what the coach can’t see.
“But then, it depends on funding from the federation, but I think it is not out of place. Finidi should be allowed to do what he wants to do. But if there is a paucity of funds, they can discuss it with him,” he added.
Reports shows that NFF has recently approached US-based Nigerian coach Michael Nsien to be an assistant to George in the management of the Super Eagles team.
However, he has reportedly rejected the offer from the NFF which is based on being paid per game. He wants the Nigerian football body to match his US-based salary before he can agree to the terms.
BY KUNLE SOLAJA
Remo Stars recorded a rare win against Rivers United in what was their first ever defeat of the Port Harcourt side in 10 matches spanning seven years. Monday evening 2-1 win was their first since their maiden encounter with Rivers United in 2017.
Before now, Rivers United had won seven times while three other encounters ended drawn.
The win on Monday put Remo Stars a point behind the table-toppers, Enugu Rangers who will be under severe pressure as Remo Stars aim for their first ever Nigerian Premier League title.
Conceding a last minute goal against Rivers United in last season’s Super 6 encounter was one of the factors that cost Remo Stars the title. Now they put pressure on Enugu Rangers as the race gets to the anchor leg.
Yet it was not an easy win for them as their former star, Andy Okpe was the one that put Rivers United ahead through a penalty kick. He famously scored the winning goal for Rivers United when in the first stanza of the league last year.
He appeared to be hunting his former club again when he was called upon to take the penalty kick after his teammate, Deputy Echeta was fouled in the penalty box in the 18th minute.
The smart kick beat Kayode Bankole to the wrong side and extended Okpe’s goal tally against his former employers after the superb goal in the first leg in Port Harcourt which Rivers United won by two nil.
In the second half, Remo Stars were all over the game with more area covered and it was not a surprise when Haruna Hadi broke the deadlock in the 68th minute to give the home fans a lot to celebrate.
With the match inching towards the final minute, Togolese import, Kwame Mawuena headed home from a corner kick by Adams Olamilekan in the 83rd minute to give the home side the maximum points.
With Monday’s win, Remo Stars moved a point within leaders, Enugu Rangers.
Remo Stars v Rivers United: Past Encounters
3 May 2017 Rivers United 1-0 Remo Stars
13 Aug 2017 Remo Stars 1-3 Rivers United
16 Nov 2017 Rivers United 1-0 Remo Stars
30 Jan 2019 Rivers United 1-0 Remo Stars
31 Mar 2019 Remo Stars 0-1 Rivers United
30 Jan 2022 Remo Stars 1-1 Rivers United
22 May 2022 Rivers United 1-0 Remo Stars
5 May 2023 Rivers United 1-0 Remo Stars
12 Oct 2023 Rivers United 2-0 Remo Stars
Nigerian Football
Nigeria football oxygen provider, GTI congratulates Finidi, new Super Eagles coach
Renowned financial investment firm, GTI Group has joined many well-meaning football-loving Nigerians in congratulating the newly appointed Super Eagles Head Coach, Finidi George. The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) recently announced the former Super Eagles winger as substantive head coach of the senior national football team, Super Eagles, following the expiration of Jose Peseiro’s contract in March 2024.
As strategic partners to the NFF on the President Federation Cup and the Nigeria Premier Football League respectively, GTI Asset Management and Trust Limited will continue to play a vital role in helping to reposition and restructure Nigeria’s football ecosystem using international best practices.
“The recent appointment of George is a golden opportunity for another indigenous coach to prove his mettle with our senior national team after Stephen Keshi of blessed memory successfully guided the Super Eagles to the 2013 AFCON triumph in South Africa. Therefore, we call on all stakeholders of Nigerian football to rally round George to ensure his tenure is successful,” said GTI Head of Media and Publicity, Andrew Ekejiuba.
It could be recalled that George assisted former coach Peseiro for 20 months during which the Eagles reached the final of the recently concluded Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Côte d’Ivoire, but the team lost narrowly to the hosts by 2-1 in the final game.
Renowned for his attacking prowess and deft touches at the wings during his playing days, George began his club football from the local scene, featuring prominently for Calabar Rovers FC of Calabar and Sharks FC of Port Harcourt before heading to Europe. He won 62 caps for Nigeria, including featuring at the 1994 and 1998 FIFA World Cup finals.
George also won gold, silver and bronze medals from the 1992, 1994, 2000 and 2002 AFCON tournaments.
Prior to his appointment, Finito as he is fondly called by football fans was in charge of two friendly matches in the March 2024 FIFA window where the Super Eagles edged Ghana 2-1 in the first match, ending an 18-year winless streak against the Black Stars, but then lost 2-0 to Mali in the second game.
His first official game will be Nigeria’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Bafana Bafana of South Africa in June and will be followed by the second game against Benin Republic in Uyo and Abidjan respectively. These are must-win ties for the Super Eagles who are lagging in third place in Group C of the African campaign behind Rwanda and South Africa.
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