Sports
NFF Leadership Crisis: Pinnick Insists On Keeping Mum
The new First Vice-President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Amaju Pinnick, last Tuesday in St Petersburg insisted that he was still keeping mum on the Nigerian football leadership crisis.
Pinnick, until some days ago President of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), told newsmen he was not going to speak on the federation’s leadership crisis for now.
Tidesports source reports that the Pinnick-led NFF Executive Committee was removed after Youths and Sports Minister Solomon Dalung asked the federation to obey a Supreme Court order on the federation’s 2014 elections.
The Chris Giwa group, which had engaged the NFF leadership in a leadership tussle since 2014, had secured an ex-parte motion directing the Pinnick-led group to obey the court order.
Based on the motion by a Jos court, Dalung had directed NFF to comply and this had led to the Giwa group taking over the NFF secretariat in Abuja.
Since then Pinnick, who as a member of FIFA Organising Committee is presently on duty in Russia at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, has remained silent on the issue.
However members of both groups have been engaged in a cross-fire of accusations and contentions.
“I am not going to say anything at all. Please, at least for now, I am not saying anything,’’ Pinnick told newsmen at the St Petersburg Arena.
He said he was at the moment in Russia only on duty for FIFA and would rather not allow the matter to bother him for now.
“I am on duty here for FIFA at the moment and will rather focus on that at the moment,’’ Pinnick who was the Match Commissioner of the France versus Belgium semi-final match in St Petersburg last Tuesday said.
Tidesports source reports that NFF’s lawyer, Festus Keyamo, has been leading the defence for Pinnick’s position on the matter since the issue snowballed into another round of crisis some days ago.
The championship will run from today to October 12 at the International Conference Centre, Umuahia. On the ground for the championship are athletes from Brazil, Peru, Egypt, Cameroon, Tunisia, Nigeria, Mauritius and Rwanda. They arrived on Sunday.
Some of the other countries were expected in the Abia State capital yesterday. Speaking on the championship, yesterday, Abia State Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Nwobilor Ananaba, said the chief host, Governor Alex Otti, has mobilised facilities and the personnel to ensure a successful event.
Speaking through the Special Assistant to the Governor on Sports, Raymond Chima Ukwa, said: “We have the best mats, playing mats, especially the wheelchair playing mats, which is the first of its kind in West Africa.
“If you go around, you’ll see the hall and the preparation that has been made to ensure that people have an equitable world-class playing field.” Thrilled by Governor Otti’s support for the competition, Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN) President, Francis Orbih, said that, besides making all the necessary arrangements that will ensure a successful hosting of the events, “we will have a Para-Badminton workshop for coaches and players.
“Nigeria is doing well, Abia is doing well, and we want to do better to improve on where we are, which is why all these have been put together by Governor Otti.”
Nigeria’s Flying Eagles began their campaign at the 24th FIFA U20 World Cup with a narrow 1–0 loss to Norway on Monday, despite creating several opportunities to level the game.
Norway took the lead in the 9th minute after being awarded a controversial penalty. The Flying Eagles pressed for an equaliser but were denied two penalty claims in the second half.
Kparobo Arierhi came close in the 47th minute when his shot drifted wide with the goalkeeper beaten, while Tahir Maigana struck the upright in the 63rd minute.
Nasiru Salihu’s rising effort in the 71st minute also went narrowly over the bar, drawing gasps from the crowd.
Seven minutes from time, Maigana again tested Norway with a long-range strike that went just wide as Nigeria continued to pile on the pressure.
Despite their dominance, the Flying Eagles could not find the breakthrough and now turn their attention to Thursday’s clash against Saudi Arabia in their second group match.
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