Sports
NFA, Players Guilty Over Bonus Row – Panel
The Ministerial Panel on
“Review of Players’ Bonuses” has indicted players and technical crew of the Super Eagles over the recent bonus row that broke out in the team.
Minister of Sports, Malam Bolaji Abdullahi, had on July 11 inaugurated the seven-member panel.
The panel was set up to unearth the causes of the bonus row which broke out after a World Cup qualifier between the Super Eagles and the Brave Warriors of Namibia.
The players had insisted on their full winning bonus of $5,000 (about N805,000) in spite of drawing the match in Namibia, while the NFA offered them $2,500 (about N402,500).
The panel was headed by Mr Segun Adeniyi, former Special Adviser to late President Umaru Yar’Adua while Mr Shehu Dikko served as its secretary.
Adeniyi, while presenting the report to the minister of sports said mutual distrust by the parties concerned and indiscipline on the part of some players sparked the row.
He said that lack of quality leadership by those in charge of the players’ affair at the time of the crisis which broke out in Namibia also contributed to the row.
The former presidential aide pointed out that officials of the Nigeria Football Association (NFA), Eagles captain Joseph Yobo and six home-based players, were spoken to before the conclusion of the report.
“One thing was clear from all the submissions made to our panel and the interactive session we held with critical stakeholders.
“This is, that the Super Eagles who were handsomely rewarded by Nigerians for winning the Africa Cup of Nations in February could not appreciate the implication of embarrassing their country.
“The technical crew members conveniently looked the other way because of their own pecuniary and vested interests.
“The football administration was also tardy in the manner in which it handled communication on the bonus issue by not formally conveying its decisions to the players ahead of the tournament,’’ Adeniyi said.
Adeniyi criticised a situation where players put incentive first rather than see invitation to the national team as a privilege and honour.
He expressed regret that bonus payment had over the years been mismanaged by all the parties involved resulting in avoidable crises that had desecrated the image of the country.
“From the 1994 World Cup qualifying matches to the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Mali, to the recent case in Namibia, bonus row has been a recurring challenge for our football administration.
“I want to say that the real incentive for any footballer invited to the national team is principally the privilege and pride of wearing the national colours of his or her country.
“This is to the extent that bonus payment should really not be an issue.
“In most countries, it is usually determined by the football administration according their financial standing and the importance of the matches at hand,’’ Adeniyi added.
Meanwhile, Sports analyst Jide Fashikun, has urged the sports minister not to implement the report of the panel on the bonus row.
Fashikun in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) observed that the report, if implemented could tear the team’s World Cup qualifying campaign apart.
He noted that the report which contained “Code of Conduct for Players’’ was capable of infuriating foreign-based players who would form the nucleus of the world cup qualifying team.
Victor Iroele, another sports analyst advised the minister to delay the implementation of the report untill the end of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
Iroele noted that any conclusion reached without the input of players such as Mikel Obi, Vincent Enyeama, Joseph Yobo and Emmanuel Emenike, among others could be counter-productive.
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.