Sports
NFF Reassures On Siasia’s Abilities
Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) President, Aminu Maigari has said that Nigerian football is in the emergency ward, but is confident the right coach has been appointed to resuscitate it.
Maigari was speaking at the official presentation and contract signing ceremony of the former international Samson Siasia as Nigeria’s Coach in Abuja on Wednesday.
“Our football is in the emergency ward, but we believe we have found a candidate who is competent and capable of taking us out of it,” Maigari said.
Siasia, according to the NFF boss, has been given a four-year, performance-based contract, but Maigari insisted that although the NFF had confidence in his ability to deliver success, there would be little margin for error “The NFF, like all Nigerians, are expectant of good results as soon as possible. The task ahead is enormous, and we appeal to him to hit the ground running.
“We have confidence he can do it, but it cannot be done alone. We must all collectively achieve what must be achieved.”
Rivers United FC of Port Harcourt contingent, comprising players, technical crew, backroom staff, and officials, depart the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos State on Wednesday, bound for Kinshasa, DR Congo.
The team is set to face FC Les Aigles du Congo in the first-round first-leg match of the CAF Champions League.
This was contained in a press release signed by the media officer of the club, Charles Mayuku and made available to Tidesports on Wednesday.
He said that the highly anticipated match is scheduled to take place at the 80,000-capacity Kinshasa-Complexe Omnisports Stade des Martyrs on morrow with kickoff slated for 3:30pm.
According to the statement the encounter marks the first-ever meeting between both sides in any competition, adding that an air of excitement and unpredictability to the fixture.
“As the Pride of Nigeria embarks on this crucial journey, the team is determined to return with a decent result that will set them up favorably for the second leg on Sunday, 28th September” the statement said.
The new rankings, released via FIFA’s official X handle on Thursday, reflect the team’s continued struggles under Coach Eric Chelle amid a stuttering 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign.
This marks a second consecutive decline after the Nigerian side dropped from 43rd to 44th in August on the back of poor outings in recent international matches.
Despite Nigeria’s setback, several African teams made progress. Morocco remains the continent’s highest-ranked side, sitting 11th in the world after winning eight of their last nine matches. Senegal, Egypt, Algeria and Côte d’Ivoire complete Africa’s top five.
Lesotho slipped to 153rd place, while Benin Republic, Nigeria’s upcoming opponent, climbed to 93rd. South Africa’s Bafana Bafana, who held the Super Eagles to a 1-1 draw in June, rose to 55th, strengthening their bid for World Cup qualification.
Zimbabwe had the biggest slide down the ranking table, dropping nine places to 125th position in the world.
The rankings highlight Nigeria’s struggle to regain form on the global stage as key rivals continue to surge ahead.
Similarly, the Super Falcons of Nigeria remain 36th best in the world], while the Spanish female national team replaced the USA at the top of the women’s ranking.
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