Sports
Infantino’s Visit: Fans Seek End To Nation’s Soccer Calamities
Ebonyi State football fans
have expressed the hope that the visit of FIFA President Gianni Infantino to Nigeria on Sunday would end the spate of calamities that have befallen the nation’s football.
The nation’s football had witnessed several downturns such as qualification failure for AFCON 2007 the death of former coaches Stephen Keshi and Shuaibu Amodu, among others.
The downturn was heightened last weekend with the Flying Eagles’ elimination from the 2017 African Youth Championship after losing 3-4 to Sudan in Lagos.
An Abakaliki-based Evangelist, Rev. Okechukwu Oketa, hoped that the visit of the FIFA president would set the path for a spiritual rejuvenation of the nation’s football.
“Nigeria’s football history is experiencing its worst ‘run’ because the ‘wrong’ people are at the helm of its affairs and they seem to have lost focus on ways to manage it.
“I believe with faith, that God sent the World’s No. 1 soccer administrator to the country to commence the process of correcting the ills bedevilling our football,’’ he said.
A retired referee and veteran sports administrator in Ebonyi, Joachim Okoro observed that God’s intervention would only manifest when those running Nigeria’s football “distinguished their left from their right’’.
“Infantino should make it clear to President Muhammadu Buhari that the era of government’s monopoly in sports is over, as knowledgeable individuals should be allowed to manage the sector.
“The problem with our football is that those managing it are ‘political proteges’ of former Nigerian leaders who have continued to lead our football into the abyss,’’ he said.
Supporting the assertion, a palyer of the defunct Nitel Vasco FC of Enugu, Ikechukwu Aniakor said that the odds did not favour the Amaju Pinnick-led NFF board to continue in office.
“A division six club in a serious-minded football setting for instance, cannot make the mistake of announcing a coach’s appointment without settling personal terms with him.
“Infantino should hold a private discussion with the NFF board on the issue of competence as it is the board’s archiles heels,’’ he said.
A hotelier and soccer enthusiast, Chief Fredrick Uka urged Chris Giwa and his faction to save the nation’s soccer from embarrassment by shunning acts that would derail Infantino’s visit.
“He should allow the visit to go on without hitch as Nigerians have realised the incompetence of the present board.
“The FIFA president’s visit should also dwell on the lingering problems in the NFF’s leadership to resolve it permanently,’’ he said.
A youth activist, Mrs Isabela Ike called on the NFF to drop the idea of rotating venues for matches involving the national team.
“During the golden days of the country’s football, national teams had their ‘traditional homes’ which the players were familiar with and delivered good results.
Only Denmark, ranked 21st globally, sits higher among nations that failed to qualify for the tournament, which is being co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.
England and Chelsea legend John Terry was among those to voice his disappointment, describing Nigeria as a significant loss to a tournament that features 48 nations for the first time.
“Nigeria will be a big miss. This is a World Cup for participants who haven’t had the opportunity to play in the tournament. I would have loved to see a top team like Nigeria there because they’ve got some great individuals. They’re a great nation,” Terry said during a virtual roundtable session organised by SuperSport.
“I think they are a big miss because Nigeria probably would have gone further in the competition, but unfortunately, one side’s loss is another’s gain,” the former England captain added.
Eric Chelle’s side finished second in Group C of the CAF World Cup qualifiers behind South Africa, who secured automatic qualification. Nigeria kept their hopes alive with a playoff semi-final victory over Gabon before falling to the Democratic Republic of Congo on penalties in the decisive playoff final — their second successive absence from the World Cup after also missing the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
The Nigeria Football Federation later challenged DR Congo’s qualification, alleging the use of ineligible players during the campaign, but the appeal was dismissed.
Despite missing the World Cup, the Super Eagles remain Africa’s 3rd highest-ranked team behind Morocco, who sit seventh in the world, and Senegal. Algeria and Egypt complete the continent’s top five.
Defending champions Argentina enter the tournament as the world’s top-ranked side, ahead of Spain, France, England and Portugal. Brazil are sixth, followed by Morocco, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.
The next FIFA World Ranking will be released on July 20, a day after the World Cup final.
Chima Akachukwu and Miracle Akhigbe are among the 16 notable stars picked by the Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF) for the forthcoming Namibia Tour, where the YellowGreens will compete in a T20 and 50-Over Tri-Series, featuring hosts Namibia and Hong Kong China.
Both players make their way back into the YellowGreens fold after periods away from the side and will be eager to contribute their experience and quality as Nigeria pursues success in Namibia.
The NCF said yesterday that the squad, which departs Nigeria today, forms part of the national team’s continued preparations for future international assignments as the YellowGreens seek to build on recent performances and strengthen their standing on the global stage.
Leading the squad is Captain Sulaimon Runsewe, who will spearhead Nigeria’s campaign against two formidable opponents in what promises to be a highly competitive series.
The selected squad combines experienced internationals with emerging talents, providing the technical crew an opportunity to assess player development and team combinations in both the T20 and 50-over formats.
The team will be led on tour by Coaches Leke Oyede and Tamuno John, who will oversee preparations and match operations during the opening phase of the series.
Joining the squad later in Namibia will be the newly appointed Head Coach and High Performance Manager, Stephen Magongo, whose arrival marks another significant step in the Federation’s commitment to strengthening the national team structure and enhancing player development pathways.
Supporting the coaching staff are Team Analyst Jamal Okechukwu, Strength and Conditioning Coach Seye Olympio, and Team Physiotherapist Timothy Adesomowo, forming a well-rounded technical crew focused on maximising player performance and welfare throughout the tour.
The NCF views the Namibia Tri-Series as an important platform for the continued growth of the national team, offering valuable international exposure and competitive match experience against quality opposition. The series will provide the players and technical crew with another opportunity to evaluate progress, fine-tune strategies, and build momentum ahead of future international competitions.
The YellowGreens will face Namibia and Hong Kong China in both T20 and 50-over contests, with the matches expected to test the team’s adaptability, discipline, and resilience in challenging conditions.
Blessing Otu on Monday overcame hard-fighting Kelvin Bebe- Emmanuella in two sets of 6-1, 6-3 to qualify for the second round of the women’s singles of the ongoing 47th Central Bank of Nigeria Senior Tennis Championship, held at the Tennis Courts of the package “B” of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.
Speaking after the round of 32 game, Otu, who will be 19 years old in September, said she capitalised on her opponent’s weaknesses to gain victory, having studied her game very well.
“Bebe is a very good and tough player. But I studied her game and did the job well.
“Although she tried to come back in the second set, I punctured all her tricks to win the match and move on. I wish I could continue like this in the rest of my games,” she said.
Another member of the Otu family, John Out, was also victorious as he defeated Mohammed Abdusalam 2-1 (6-2, 6-7, 6-1) in the men’s singles category to advance into the round of 32.
But the third Otu in the game, Thomas, was not that lucky as he lost by 6-0, 7-5 in two straight sets to Danjuma Isaac.
In other matches, Michael Emmanuel defeated Ibrahim Aminu to advance, while Drimiya Mevi outclassed Seyi Ogunsakin by beating him 2-1 (6-7, 6-3, 6-1). Action continues tomorrow when other top players, including the men’s singles top seed, Abua Cannice, join the chase for honours.