Sports
Disu Wants Pinnick, Others To Be Disqualified For NFF Elections
Former Nigeria defender, Tajudeen Disu, says all members of the current board of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), lack the moral standing to contest any position in the election scheduled for September.
Disu, who is also the chairman of the Players Welfare Committee of the Professional Footballers Association of Nigeria, said this during an interview with Tidesports source in reaction to reports of NFF President, Amaju Pinnick and some notable members of the current board expressing their interest to run as president.
His reaction is hinged, especially on the desire of League Management Company (LMC) chairman, Shehu Dikko, who is confident of succeeding Pinnick as president of the body and is gearing up his campaign.
Buttressing the opinion severally harped on by the players’ body, Disu said the current NFF board has done a lot of damage to Nigerian football in all ramifications and will be sent packing in September at the polls.
“I just got a report stating Shehu Dikko has stepped up his NFF Presidential campaign and sounds confident of succeeding Amaju Pinnick. How can someone who has completely destroyed our league be considering becoming President of the NFF?
“I appeal to the federal government to disqualify Dikko and the other six executive members of the NFF alongside Amaju Pinnick because they are birds of the same feather,” Disu stated.
He continues: “Allowing any of them to contest is as good as enhancing Pinnick’s third term in office because they are working together.
“Members of the current board don’t know what is coming. They will all be swept away at the polls in September. People who know the game inside out will come on board so that Nigerian football can breathe again.
“The players’ bloc is ready to wrest leadership of Nigerian football from them, and we are serious about this. The era of manipulating elections is over, and the upcoming election in September will be the turning point.
“I am glad five reputable ex-footballers are in the race, and the ex-players will work as a unit to ensure that Nigerian football leaves the woods.”
There are unconfirmed reports that Pinnick will attempt to secure a third term, despite earlier making it clear he would not be running. He is likely run against the First Vice President, Seyi Akinwunmi, and Zamfara FA Chairman, Ibrahim Gusau at the polls.
Jonathan Akpoborie, Benedict Akwuegbu, Peterside Idah, Paul Yusuf, and Kenneth Boardman are the ex-internationals contesting the position of president.
No ex-international has occupied the position since its inception, and the players’ bloc is fervently seeking a change in the direction of the pendulum.
The Tidesports source recall that the Super Eagles failed to qualify for Qatar 2022 World Cup, losing the ticket to Ghana in Abuja, while the Super Falcons surrendered their African title in an embarrassing matter at the just concluded African Women’s Nations Cup in Morocco. All Nigerian Clubs have become a laughing stock in CAF competitions. There were reports yesterday that CAF has dismissed Pinnick’s alleged bid to co-host the 2025 African Nations Cup with Benin Republic.
Pinnick was said to have announced on Tuesday that he had informed CAF Executives via a room meeting of Nigeria’s interest to co-host alongside Benin, with several media reports suggesting that the event could be moved from troubled Guinea.
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.