Sports
African Nations Seek Help From FIFA’s COVID-19 Fund
Every single country in Africa has applied to FIFA to access a grant through the world governing body’s COVID-19 Relief Plan.
Formally approved in July, the FIFA fund is making US$1.5 billion available to its 211 member associations and six confederations.
Last week, FIFA announced that it believes the coronavirus pandemic has cost the global football economy an estimated $14 billion.
“Fifty-four African member associations have applied for grants,” a FIFA spokesperson told Tidesports source.
FIFA has revealed that over 150 countries have already applied for the scheme, meaning Africa represents around a third of the countries to have made such a request.
Every member association can apply for a grant of up to $1.5m, a third of which has to be spent on women’s football, a ‘key element of the COVID-19 Relief Plan’, FIFA says.
Confederations can apply for up to $2m in funding, with four of FIFA’s six confederations having done so.
Our source understands that the Confederation of African Football is not among them, despite postponing a handful of income-generating tournaments and facing a legal bill that could amount to tens of millions after abruptly cancelling a billion-dollar broadcast deal last year.
There is no timescale on the request for loans, meaning that both member associations and confederations can apply as and when they need.
“Essentially, this is not about distributing money but achieving the right social and economic impact to support club football, players, staff, youth academies and member associations through these troubled waters,” said Olli Rehn, chairman of the FIFA fund’s steering committee.
The current Governor of the Bank of Finland, Rehn, added that comprehensive auditing and compliance checks will be carried out to ensure all funds reach their intended destination.
“This is at the heart of this COVID-19 relief fund,” the 58-year-old told reporters. “We do request and require full compliance with the best auditing standards. Corruption has no room in football.”
A well-known football pundit in the State, Chief Christopher Okonkwo has lauded the efforts and vision of the Super Eagles Coach Eric Chelle for going from one venue of the Nigeria Domestic Nigeria Professional Football League match to the other in monitoring Nigerian players, with a view to invite some exceptional good one discovered into the main stream of the Super Eagles team.
Okonkwo, who made the commendation in an interview at the Port Harcourt Club recently, described the positive move by Coach Chelle as a good step in the right direction, noting that the practice was how its been done in the past among any contracted coach assigned to tinker the Super Eagles team.
“Truly, it has been an old tradition in the country seeing any newly engaged Coach to lead the National team, visiting some our Nigeria League venues during the league matches to spot light some good talents that could be used to beef up some grey areas in the department of Eagles team”
He, however, frowned at the current situation where our coaches had continously been over depending on the use of foreign based players during invitation of players to the National camp, thereby, relegating the domestic home based league players to the background as if they have nothing much to offer to the team.
“I can vividly recall that the likes of great players in the mode of Finidi George, Taribo West, Kanu Nwankwo, Austin Okocha, Richard Owobokiri, Emmanuel Osuigwe among others started from Nigeria football league before they graduated to play in Europe through which they later invited to Super Eagles camp to represent Nigeria”
“Besides, I’m also of the view that going to secondary school football competitive games could equally serves as a a good platform to discover budding talents that could be nurtured to become great stars in near future”, Okonkwo frankly added.
Okonkwo, therefore, prayed that any football coach to be engaged by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to tinker the Super Eagles should be told not to confine himself in staying in big hotel alone but to be visiting some of our local league match venues, with a view to discover some good players that can be drafted into the Super Eagles team.
“Indeed, I stand to be challenged that there some young good players in the Nigeria Professional League. If spotted and exposed, could give the some of the invited foreign based players a stiff competitive fight in securing a postion in the team”, Okonkwo emphatically stated.
Ezechukwu, one of the youngest members of the Nigerian contingent at the championship in Ghana, said her ambition was to win the 100m title in style and cap it with a new personal record.
The fresh secondary school graduate explained that she is fully focused on contributing to Team Nigeria’s medal hopes and is determined to deliver strong performances across her events.
“My main objective in Ghana is to clinch the 100m title and the 4×100m,” Ezechukwu told Tidesports source.
“Nigeria can be assured of my very best and my commitment to the Team. I would love to set a new personal best in Ghana, but anything that comes, I will take it. The spirit in the team is high, and I think we are ready to go,” she said.
Ezechukwu, who was part of Nigeria’s women’s 4x100m relay squad at the World Relays in Botswana, said the experience gained from that competition has strengthened her mindset heading into the continental championships.
She admitted that she learned valuable lessons from her previous outing, including a difficult moment during the relay where an early error affected the team’s rhythm, but said she has used the experience to improve her discipline and composure.
“The secret is just being disciplined, training hard and trusting my coach and believing in God, and the result will show,” she added.
The teenager is part of a 41-member Nigerian team comprising 24 female and 17 male athletes competing at the championships, which begin today at the University of Ghana, Legon.
Nigeria are expected to compete across multiple track and field events as they aim for a strong finish against the continent’s elite athletes.
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