Sports
Finidi’s Appointment Gets More Backing
A football enthusiast and business mogul in Rivers State, Chief Christopher Okonkwo has expressed happiness over the appointment of Finidi George as substantive Head Coach of the Super Eagles of Nigeria, not minding the long time frame it had taken the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to arrive at the decision.
Speaking exclusively to newsmen in Port Harcourt, Okonkwo maintained that the choice of Finidi was okay since it is in tandem with the yearnings of many Nigerian fans in settling with an indigenous seasoned coach to lead the Eagles.
According to Okonkwo, Coach Emmanuel Amuneke was earlier favoured by opinion poll to grab the Eagles plum job based on his wealth of coaching experience before it finally landed on the table of Coach Finidi George as endorsed by NFF, however, I believe that the choice of Finidi is still good for the country since both Finidi and Amuneke were great players of old and seem to have the good technical knowledge of the game. Hence, I wish Coach Finidi George good luck in his new national assignment”.
“Interestingly, Coach Finidi looks very humble and I have no doubt that there will be mutual understanding and show of respect between him and the players so that there won’t be friction in the course of carrying out his new assignment of leading Super Eagles team to glory”.
Continuing, Okonkwo who is known for his outspokenness urged the NFF board not to hesitate in providing enabling environment and good welfare package for Coach Finidi as it was done for the foreign coaches, so that he will be in good frame of mind to do his job effectively.
“Besides, I will also plead with NFF, as a matter of fact to refrain from interfering in Coach Finidi’s job, instead, he should be given a free hand to select the best of players whom he trusts that can deliver and by so doing, would be liable to account for anything that will stop the Eagles from winning or qualifying for the World Cup”.
“I want to suggest to Coach Finidi that if he is convinced that eleven (11) players from the same family can represent Nigeria and give us the needed victory, let him go on, instead of this idea of agitation and pandering to quota system in selection of players from different to satisfy quota system, which does not produce the expected good result at the end of the day” he stated.
Nigeria has won the bid to host the next edition of the prestigious All Africa Challenge Trophy in 2026.
The AACT is a biennial continental ladies’ golf championship in Africa that had its inaugural edition in May 1992 in Zimbabwe.
Nigeria hosted the AACT in 1996 at the Ikoyi Club 1938, while in 2010, the AACT was played at the IBB International Golf and Country Club, in Abuja.
This would be the third time Nigeria will be hosting the championship.
Interestingly, the West and Central Africa Challenge Trophy (a regional version of the championship) was held for the first time in Nigeria at the Lakowe Lakes Golf Estates and Resort, Lagos, in 2023.
Evelyn Oyome, the President of the Ladies Golf Association of Nigeria, who was the leader of the Nigerian delegation to the championship’s 16th edition in Morocco, said Nigeria emerged winner amongst the 20 countries that took part in the bidding process.
“Nigeria had earlier hosted the West, Central Africa Challenge Trophy in October last year at the Lakowe Lakes Golf Estate and Resort in Lagos, showcasing its outstanding golfing facilities, with no fewer than 10 countries participating.
“So, hosting that championship successfully last year gave us the edge amongst so many other countries that also bidded and winning was a huge victory for Nigeria,” she said.
Oyome revealed that the Federal Capital Territory would be the host city for the AACT 2026 edition, with no fewer than 30 countries expected to participate in the championship.
Super Eagles B co-handler Fidelis Ilechukwu has revealed that Kano Pillars duo Ahmed Musa and Shehu Abdullahi were initially listed in the 30-man squad for the 2024 CHAN qualifiers double header clash against Ghana, but were dropped over their ineligibility.
Musa and Shehu, who made sensational returns to Kano Pillars this season, were conspicuously missing when the Nigeria Football Federation revealed the names of 30 Nigeria Premier Football League stars for the assignment.
The CHAN Eagles are currently camping in Ikenne, Ogun State. They will play the first leg of their encounter in Accra on Sunday, December 22 before returning to Uyo for the return leg on Saturday, December 28.
“I was told he (Musa) didn’t meet up with the conditions of playing in the CHAN tournament or qualifiers,” Ilechukwu told our correspondent.
“Ahmed Musa was on our list, there is no way we wouldn’t have included him in the list with his performances in the league but they told us to replace him due to eligibility.
When asked if the same applied to Shehu, the coach replied in the affirmative.
According to CAF regulations, only footballers playing in their country of birth are eligible.
While the above rule favours both Musa and Shehu, their participation was perhaps made difficult by another CAF regulation which says, “Only players with a permanent contract registered in a local club affiliated to their national association are eligible to participate in the African Nations Championship” – as both players are in the NPFL under the Elite Player Scheme.
According to section 9.91 of the NPFL Framework and Rules, “There shall be an Elite Player Scheme wherein each Club shall be allowed to register a maximum of two players who in the opinion of the NPFL will add value to the league.”
The Federal Capital Territory is set to host the 2024 Annual General Assembly (AGA) of the Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL) on Tuesday, December 17, 2024.
In a statement released yesterday, the Chief Operating Officer, Modupe Shabi, confirmed that all arrangements have been finalised for the AGA, which will take place at Fabino by Toprank Hotels, Abuja.
The AGA meeting promises to be a significant gathering in charting a way forward for the women’s football rising agenda and the women’s football leagues in Nigeria.
Key stakeholders, including board members and representatives of Premiership and Championship clubs, will review the successes and challenges of the outgone 2023/2024 season.
Notably, Edo Queens emerged champions of the NWFL Premiership for the first time, while Honey Badgers and Ibom Angels secured promotion to the Premiership from the NWFL Championship.
The AGM will also focus on sustaining the league’s growing credibility and improving operations while setting the calendar and start date for the 2024/2025 NWFL Premiership and Championship campaigns.
This pivotal meeting aims to further strengthen women’s football in Nigeria and lay the groundwork for the league’s continued growth.
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