Sports

Fear Forced Me Out Of NFF Election – Uchegbulam

Published

1 year ago

January 28, 2024

Former Vice President of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amanze Uchegbulam, has said the recent nullification of the 2022 NFF board elections by an Appeal Court was an avoidable consequence of a misadventure.
The Appeal Court in Abuja, led by Justice Hamma Akawu Barka, alongside Justice Okon Abang and Justice Adebukola Banjoko, last week, ordered the sacking of all members of NFF board for alleged use of court orders obtained from ‘dubious’ means, in conducting the NFF elections held in Benin City, Edo State, on September 30, 2022.
It thus nullified the elections of the NFF, which ushered in the Alhaji Ibrahim Gusau-led board.
The Appeal Court ruled that anybody seen parading him or herself as NFF Board member after the ongoing AFCON in Cote d’Ivoire risk going to jail for contempt.
Uchegbulem, a former member of Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) Arbitration Committee, who was a Presidential aspirant in the 2022 NFF election, said he withdrew from the exercise to avoid the risk of Contempt of Court after a directive from the then Minister of Sports, Mr. Sunday Dare, that the election be suspended, was ignored by the NFF electoral committee.
“I withdrew from the election on principle because I did not want to compromise my integrity in the game. I also withdrew my FA – the Imo Football Association from the exercise, because there was a court order stopping the elections. I conveyed my decision to withdraw from the contest in my letter to the electoral committee, dated September 26, 2022, citing the Court Order from Hon. Justice I.E. Ekwo on the September 15, 2022, stopping the election, pending the hearing of a substantive suit; as my reason.
“As a law abiding citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I shall make myself available to participate in the election upon the vacation of the Order of the Federal High Court Abuja and or set aside or issues being resolved by the parties, to the knowledge of the Court and the public for the purpose, and same communicated to the Aspirants accordingly by the electoral committee,’’ part of the letter reads.
“I am vindicated by this development,” Uchegbulam said. “The court has said the counter Order was procured through ‘deceit’ as it was not from an authentic source. It was all out of desperation. Too bad.”

Sports

New Eagles Squad Excites WizKids

Published

22 hours ago

March 21, 2025

The Tide

Nigerian Afrobeats star Ayodeji Balogun, popularly known as Wizkid, has expressed his satisfaction with the Super Eagles’ preparation ahead of their 2026 World Cup qualifier against Rwanda in Kigali.
The team, now under the leadership of newly appointed head coach Eric Chelle, held its first training session on Tuesday afternoon.
Reacting to the new squad, Wizkid took to his X handle on Wednesday, writing, “New Super Eagles team! (I) love the energy,” he wrote.
The crucial qualifier is set to take place at the Amahoro Stadium in Rwanda on Friday, March 21, with kickoff scheduled for 5 pm Nigerian time.
Following the match, Nigeria will return home to face Zimbabwe in Uyo on Tuesday.
The Super Eagles must secure maximum points from both fixtures to strengthen their chances of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
Nigeria’s current squad features several in-form players, including Galatasaray’s Victor Osimhen, Atalanta’s Ademola Lookman, Genk’s Tolu Arokodare and Fulham’s Calvin Bassey.
The match against Rwanda will be Chelle’s first game in charge of the three-time African champions, who are desperate for a positive result to keep their World Cup qualification hopes alive.
The Super Eagles last played at the Amahoro Stadium in September 2024, where they were held to a goalless draw by Rwanda.

Sports

NLO Tasks Clubs To Complete Players’ Facial Registration

Published

22 hours ago

March 21, 2025

The Tide

The Nationwide League One (NLO) has mandated the clubs that make up the Division One and U19 Youth League to complete their players’ facial verification process.
The Secretariat of the nation’s third-tier league regulatory body via its media department gave reasons on the essence of exercise as the March 30th players’ registration deadline draws near.
According to the NLO, clubs must complete facial verification for each player during registration to prevent duplicate registrations.
As regards players that have already been registered, the NLO explained that if a player fails verification (already registered with another club), the holding club must release the player. The NLO Admin will confirm the release and allow the verification of such a player for the new club.
The NLO stressed the importance of the release documentation and Registration Window Closure.
Releasing clubs must upload the player’s release document. This document will be reviewed and verified by the NLO Admin.
After the registration window closes, clubs cannot sign new players.
With the introduction of the new facial recognition technology, all clubs must register both their existing and new players.
These updates ensure a fair and transparent registration system. For assistance, clubs should contact NLO support.

Sports

Aruna Up For $275k WTT Chennai

Published

22 hours ago

March 21, 2025

The Tide

Nigeria table tennis star, Quadri Aruna, will contest in the maiden WTT Contender Chennai in India after he was picked as a replacement for German star, Dimitrij Ovtcharov.
The WTT Contender Chennai is the fifth WTT event of the year and marks the first staging of the series in the City.
The event which has a prize purse of $270,000 will be held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium, Chennai, India from March 25 to 30.
Aruna and nine other players have been confirmed for the men’s singles including his African rival, Egypt’s Omar Assar.3.
Other players confirmed so far include Denmark’s Jonathan Groth (17), Hugo Calderano of Brazil (6) and world number four Tomokazu Harimoto of Japan.
The 36-year-old has played in two WTT events this year.
In January, he made it as far as the semi-finals in the WTT Star Contender in Doha where he lost in straight sets to Japanese sensation Tomokazu Harimoto.
Last Wednesday, the world number 19 crashed out of the WTT Champions Chongqing 2025 after suffering a comprehensive 3-0 defeat to world number two Wang Chuqin of China in their round of 32 clash.
Aruna will hope to put up a more commanding show in India, as he has been tipped to shine by the world body.
“Stay tuned. There’s more to come from Quadri Aruna in India,” WTT captioned Aruna’s video on Monday after announcing his participation.
WTT Executive Director of Events Mounir Bessah also said the competition is a bold step forward as they expect Aruna and other players to deliver a memorable spectacle.
“Chennai’s inclusion in the WTT Series calendar underscores our mission to expand the reach of table tennis globally while honouring the sport’s passionate fanbase in India. With a venue like the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium and the support of Tamil Nadu’s government, we are ready to deliver an unforgettable spectacle for players and fans.”