Governing Bodies
UPDATED: NFF announces Daar Communications as ticket rights holder for Nigeria-Ghana match
The Nigeria Football Federation on Thursday publicly presented Daar Communications PLC (owners of Africa Independent Television and Raypower Radio) as the exclusive ticket rights holder for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 playoff battle between Nigeria and Ghana in Abuja on Tuesday, 29th March 2022.
At a press conference inside the NFF Secretariat in the Federal Capital, NFF General Secretary, Dr Mohammed Sanusi said the Daar Communications bade for the right as part of its corporate social responsibility, and the NFF had accepted based on the Federation’s trust and confidence in the broadcast company.
“Since inception of its operations, Daar Communications has consistently shown remarkable love and support for the growth and development of Nigeria football. The ticketing rights awarded to Daar Communications PLC today is a reflection of our confidence in the organization to raise the profile of the game and fill the stadium to the capacity approved by FIFA with passionate fans who will cheer the Super Eagles to victory and on to Qatar 2022.”
Responding, the Group Managing Director of Daar Communications, Mr Tony Anegbe Akiotu said: “The Super Eagles need all the support they can get for this big match. This move is part of our own efforts to re-ignite the passion of Nigerians in the National Team and Nigeria Football generally. Getting fans into the stadium, building up their excitement and anticipation in a unique way and finally getting them to unleash their energy in support of the Eagles is our over-riding primary objective.”
Nigeria take the pitch against Ghana as from 6pm on Tuesday, 29th March in what will be the reverse leg of a final round of qualification campaign for a ticket at the 2022 FIFA World Cup finals. Both teams will in the process write another note in the two countries’ 71-year football rivalry, during which 58 matches would have been played before the day.
The encounter will also be the first time in seven years and five months since the Eagles last played at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium. That was in October 2014, in a 3-1 win over Sudan in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match.
Also present at the occasion were Mr Raymond Dokpesi Jnr (Chairman, Daar Communications); Mr Charity Kadiri (Director of Finance & Admin, NFF); Mrs Tosin Dokpesi (Managing Director, Daar Communications); Mr Ademola Olajire (Director of Communications, NFF); Mrs Pauline Ugbodaga (Executive Director News, Daar Communications); Barr. Okey Obi (Ag. Director Legal, NFF); Mr Marcel Anyalechi (Chief Internal Auditor, Daar Communications); Mr Alizor Chuks (Head Marketing, NFF); Mr Tony Uya (Executive Director Engineering, Daar Communications); Mr Tunde Orebiyi (Consultant Sports, Daar Communications) and; Mr Callistus Ebare (Head Sports, Daar Communications).
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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The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has denied reports of an outstanding debt to former captain Christian Chukwu and has challenged anyone with verifiable documents to prove otherwise.
Chukwu, a former national team captain and chief coach, died last Saturday.
The Nigeria Football Federation decried statements in a section of social media that the football-ruling body was indebted to the deceased.
Reacting to one statement on social media that claimed NFF owed the 1980 Africa Cup of Nations-winning team captain the sum of $128,000, NFF General Secretary, Dr Mohammed Sanusi, said: “There is no record in the NFF of any outstanding indebtedness to ‘Chairman’ Christian Chukwu.
“During the first term of the Board headed by Amaju Pinnick, a committee was set up to diligently peruse the papers of coaches who were being owed, even from previous NFF administrations.
“That committee was given the clear mandate to verify all debts and ensure that the coaches being owed were paid immediately. I am aware that the ‘Chairman’ was in the employ of the NFF between 2002 and 2005, before he was relieved of the post following the 1-1 draw with Angola in a FIFA World Cup qualifying match in Kano in August 2005. There is certainly no record of indebtedness to him in the NFF.”
Sanusi challenged anyone with genuine and verifiable documents of NFF indebtedness to any coach, who has worked with any of the National Teams over the past two decades, to come forward and tender those documents.
“As a credible organization that is very much alive to its responsibilities, if we are confronted with any genuine document of indebtedness to any coach, we will offset the debt immediately.”
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