Sports

2012 AFCON: How Nigerians Pay For National Team

Published

12 years ago

January 27, 2012

As shock qualifiers Niger took on co-hosts Gabon in their first game in the Africa Cup of Nation finals, it has been a bitter-sweet feeling for the people of Niger. Football fan or not, they are helping to foot the bill for the Mena’s maiden tournament – every time they use their mobile phones.

Back in September Niamey’s General Seyni Kountche stadium erupted into joy as Koffi Dan Kowa and star striker Moussa Maazou scored the two goals that helped Niger to a shock 2-1 win over South Africa and ultimately sent them to their continent’s most prestigious tournament for the very first time.

Few of the 35,000 spectators watching that day probably realised that victory would also add 10 CFA francs to the cost of each minute they spend on their mobile phones.

It will fund some of the $5million (£3.8million) that taking part in the Africa Cup of Nations is expected to cost the Mena, the local Hausa name for the Dama gazelle, which features on Niger’s football strip.

The tax, which ran from 25 December until 25 January, is a significant burden given that the average cost of a minute’s call is 100 CFA francs.

Football is of course a global sport of riches, the international governing body FIFA gives all members $250,000 a year and in January 2011 even paid out a $300,000 bonus to each, but that does not go far when for every other game you have to travel huge distances across a vast continent.

So should some of the global game’s huge resources be made available to spare Nigerien mobile phone users an extra burden?

The Vice-President of Niger’s Football Federation, Colonel Ibrahim Yakubu, is adamant that his country “doesn’t want the charity of Caf, all we want is respect”.

To raise a reported $130million over eight years the regional Confederation of African Football (CAF) even sold the naming rights to its showpiece competition.

It is part of a deal, which ironically for Niger’s four million subscribers (25 per cent of the population), has been struck with the mobile phone company Orange.

The company stresses that the new tax and its involvement with the Cup of Nations are not related, adding that it also sponsors the Nigerien national federation.

Col Yakubu says the federation had not asked anyone for extra money and did not believe CAF or FIFA would give it anything anyway.

“If it’s a team for the people they should contribute,” he adds, promising that in return the players “will try to give their maximum” despite having to get by on the smallest budget of all the teams who have qualified for the finals. The new tax has of course divided public opinion.

The Mena are this tournament’s surprise qualifiers – and, coming from one of the poorer countries, have to survive on the smallest team budget

International aid agencies, such as UNICEF, are warning of an impending food crisis in Niger, which already languishes at second to bottom of the UN development ranking of countries.

So it is little surprise that, the government, according to Col Yakubu has “lots of things” to spend money on and simply cannot afford to pay the full cost itself.

So what exactly will the new tax fund?

The Nigerien Football Federation said that the money raised will be added to private donations and a small contribution from the government to meet the accommodation and food bill in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.

It will also pay for transport costs, including the two planes that have taken the Mena on this journey of a lifetime.

Additionally there will be some modest financial rewards for the 23 players, seven of whom play in the amateur domestic league. Of those that play abroad in countries as diverse as Belgium, Thailand and South Africa none earn huge sums of money.

The pride they have given their countrymen after qualifying against the odds is worthy of recognition, according to Col Yakubu.

In a country where World Bank figures show the average income is about $1 a day, questions are being asked as to whether this is the best way to pay for their team’s participation.

Niger has benefited from millions of dollars’ worth of debt relief and so good governance, the tax system included, is seen as essential by much of the international community.

Children play football in the streets of Harovanda, a lower class neighborhood of Niamey, on September 11, 2012. Qualification could inspire of generation of footballers from Niger

One mobile phone industry source admitted that the new tax was “not a favourable approach” and could be “detrimental” to the industry, especially as it raises fears of customers being taxed for other short term projects.

Mahaman Tidjani Alou, a professor of political science at Niamey’s state-funded Abdou Moumouni University, argues that there is nothing to worry about.

“For me, it’ll all depend on how this money is going to be used,” he says.

“If it’s used for other purposes, this will be a dangerous way of going about it,” he says, adding that civic society groups are already calling for an audit once the tournament is over.

But it is not just about ensuring that every cent is spent properly in such a poor country as landlocked Niger.

There is also the danger that such a tax could dent economic growth in the country where the mobile phone is expected to play a significant role in raising living standards.

A recent International Monetary Fund working paper suggests that for every 10 per cent of people with a mobile phone there is likely to be a 0.7 per cent growth in the economy. The global trade body for mobile phone operators, the GSM Association, puts this figure even higher – at 1.2 per cent.

Of course the better Niger does in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea the less controversial their finances will be. The Mena lost their opening match 0-2 to Gabon.

Col Yakubu would not be surprised if once again they exceed expectations. He says that “Niger can win because its football and any team can win, that’s the beauty of football”.

Sports

Chess Championship: Dan-Jumbo Emerges Best Female Player

Published

4 days ago

April 30, 2024

The Tide

The third edition of Naphtail Chess Open Championship which ended on Wednesday in Port Harcourt saw Rivers State born Queen Dan-Jumbo emerged best female player in the tournament following her impressive performance.

It was clash of the Titans as top Chess players in Nigeria gathered to chase honours.

The three days competition was held at Vee Hotel, Trans Amadi ,in Port Harcourt and over 80 players in Nigeria registered for the tournament this championship was recognised by International Chess Federation (FIDE).

Speaking with Tidesports in an exclusive interview on Saturday, Dan-Jumbo said her dream was to become Grand Master in Chess worldwide.

According to her, she started playing Chess at the age of 15 but went into it professionally in 2009 as she represented Rivers State in National Sports Festival (NSF) in Kaduna, the same year.

“I started playing Chess in the early 2000s. I picked the interest through my my elder brother as him and his friends always play Chess in our compound so I began to learn it.

” In 2009 I went to National Sports festival in Kaduna represented Rivers State and I won a silver medal on my board.

“In 2011 and 2012 NSFs I won two Gold medals each hosted by Rivers and Lagos States respectively. While in Edo NSF I won bronze medal” Dan-Jumbo said.

The Asari-Toru, in Rivers State born Chess player use the forum to advice upcoming Chess players to be focus, saying losing a game is part of every competition but the most important thing was that you don’t lose hope.

“My advice for upcoming chess players was that don’t lose focus. Even when you lose, find a way to adjust and get back out”, she added.

Tonye Orabere

Sports

Siasia Blames NFF Over FIFA Ban

Published

1 week ago

April 26, 2024

The Tide

Former Super Eagles Coach, Samson Siasia says the Nigeria Football Federation supported FIFA to have him banned for alleged involvement in match-fixing in August 2019.
In a recent interview with Athlist, the 56-year-old, whose ban ends in a few months, said the NFF not only refused to support him but also carried out FIFA’s instruction not to let him know he was under investigation by the world football body.
“Nigeria abandoned me at that time of need; that’s my own take on how this thing played out,” the former Eagles striker and member of the 1994 AFCON-winning squad, said.
“It’s an allegation; they said bribery. What is bribery? Is it not when money changes hands? Was there any proof of that? There were none.
“I spoke with someone who was trying to hire me as a coach in Australia. I didn’t know the guy was a match-fixer, but FIFA knew this guy. Why would they allow him to be around any FIFA tournament?
“So, when they found out through emails, our correspondence about how this guy would take me to Australia, I played in Australia, so I felt it would be nice to go back there.
“We talked about how much salaries, transfers, bonuses, and sign-on fees were, and that was all.
“When FIFA was looking for me, I didn’t even know. I am not affiliated with FIFA; their affiliation is with the NFF. So, they went to the NFF and told them not to let me know that they were investigating me. But if they didn’t tell me, how was I supposed to defend my self Siasia added, “Then they sent me a letter, but it went to my spam. It was two days before the ban that I found out that FIFA was looking for me.
Siasia added, “Then they sent me a letter, but it went to my spam. It was two days before the ban that I found out that FIFA was looking for me.
“Then we started to see how we could communicate with them to see how I could have a hearing. But they said the time had elapsed and I should go to the CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport).

Sports

WADA Plans Review Of Failed Tests

Published

1 week ago

April 26, 2024

The Tide

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) will launch an independent review after 23 Chinese swimmers were cleared to compete at the Tokyo Olympics despite testing positive for a banned substance.
WADA has said it was not in a position to disprove an assertion from the China Anti-Doping Agency (CHINADA) that contamination was the source of the heart medication trimetazidine (TMZ) for which the swimmers tested positive.
Findings of the independent investigation, led by Swiss prosecutor Eric Cottier, are expected to be delivered within two months.
“WADA’s integrity and reputation is under attack,” said Wada president Witold Banka.
“WADA has been unfairly accused of bias in favour of China by not appealing the CHINADA case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
“We continue to reject the false accusations and we are pleased to be able to put these questions into the hands of an experienced, respected and independent prosecutor.”
United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) Chief Executive Travis Tygart said WADA and CHINADA had swept these positives under the carpet, claims WADA described as completely false and defamatory while adding that it had referred the comments to its lawyers.
Aquatics GB said it was extremely concerned by the allegations, which it said threatened “potential loss of trust and reputational damage to sport”.
WADA was notified of CHINADA’s decision in June 2021, ahead of the delayed Games, and said it had no evidence to challenge China’s findings and that external counsel had advised against appealing.
In addition to the independent investigation, WADA said it will send a compliance audit team to assess the state of China’s anti-doping programme and invite independent auditors “from the broader anti-doping community” to join the trip.
WADA director general Olivier Niggli said: “While not one shred of evidence has been presented to support any of the allegations made against WADA, we wish to deal with the matter as quickly and as comprehensively as possible so that the matter is appropriately handled in advance of the upcoming Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games.”
Details of the positive tests were revealed by the New York Times, which shared reporting with German broadcaster ARD.
China won six swimming medals at the Tokyo Olympics, including three golds.