Governing Bodies
FORMER NIGERIA INTERNATIONAL, KINGSLEY ONYE, BLASTS GERNOT ROHR
Nigeria’s Super Eagles’ manager, Gernot Rohr seems to be at the centre of the storm. Only two days ago, his employers, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), issued him a query over breach of contract agreement and for this and others reasons, former Nigerian international, Kingsley Onye has teamed up with those who believe the coach has not done enough to be retained as Super Eagles manager.
Onye, who is based in the United Kingdom, in a telephone interview with ThisdaySports expressed his disgust at the levels at which the Super Eagles are currently operating.
“Their performance at the last Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt was not impressive at all”, said the left footed defender who was a key member of the Flying Eagles squad that placed third in the then World Youth Championship now renamed U20 World Cup.
The performance remains evergreen considering that it is the 1989 squad that did better emerging runners-up in Saudi Arabia.
To Onye who is popularly called ‘Mature’, Nigeria’s football is currently sliding considering the results posted by the various national teams including the beach soccer squad, the U23 side, the Super Falcons and also the U17 team.
He faulted the lingering goalkeeping problems the Super Eagles have been having for nearly five years now and advocated for a thorough search for Nigerian players within the country and around the globe.
In the face of the dwindling standard, he singled out Samuel Chukwueze as a striker to watch while also lending his support for the efforts to make Queens Park Rangers midfielder, Ebere Eze to switch allegiance to Nigeria.
Onye called on the involvement of some Nigerian former internationals to get integrated into the coaching class so as to regenerate the stars.
“Lets look towards people like Taribo West, Nwankwo Kanu as former players who could help develop new talents”, remarked Onye.
“Kanu can be inspirational to the up coming stars. With a combination with another star like Taribo they can combine to give ideas on how international assignments are executed having been there before and having trained under some of the best coaches in Europe apart from playing for top clubs.”
Surprisingly, Austin Jay Jay Okocha was conspicuously absent in his list. He explained that a player like Okocha is exceptional and his skills are difficult to replicate.
Onye explained that while Samson Siasia and Christian Chukwu were on the saddle as Super Eagles’ manager, he acted as scouts for them.
But it has been difficult to point out a Nigerian coach to handle the Super Eagles owing to their lining towards nepotism.
He found it difficult to name a current Nigerian coach as a possible successor to the troubled Gernot Rohr as he described Manu Garba as having led the worse Nigerian U17 team in history.
On Imama Amapakabo, Onye said that the U23 coach was to be a member of their 1985 Flying Eagles to Soviet Union but was decamped as a goalkeeper. “He nearly took Rangers down the season after the club won the Nigerian league in 2016.
He believed that Nigeria might have to look to the members of the 1994 Super Eagles to get a successor to Gernot Rohr whose contract he believed should not be renewed.
Meanwhile, embattled coach has explained the true state of his contract with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) as the row over extending his contract continue to be in public discuss.
Although the coach is pushing for an extension, however fresh clauses in the supposed new agreement is what is making the two parties not to shift stand.
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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