Sports

NSC eyes international hosting rights

Published

6 months ago

February 23, 2026

The National Sports Commission is stepping up efforts to secure international hosting rights as part of a broader plan to rebuild ageing facilities and reposition sport as a central driver of Nigeria’s economic growth, Tidesports source reports.

The strategy, according to the commission Chairman Shehu Dikko, is anchored in the Renewed Hope Initiative for Nigeria’s Sports Economy, a policy framework that outlines both the guiding principles and measurable outcomes of the reforms.

“When we launched the Renewed Hope Initiative for Nigeria’s Sports Economy, it clearly spelt out the fundamentals of what we want to achieve and the outcomes we expect,” Dikko told Tidesports source.

“You can see everything coming together, but we are just starting. As we have said, we have to do more, and we are going to do more.”

Dikko explained that hosting major competitions sits at the heart of that reset from the outset, and the commission resolved to pursue this as a catalyst for development deliberately.

“Because this is part of our vision and objectives from day one, we said we have to reset and refocus on our sport,” he said.

“Hosting major international events and conferences is part of that vision. We said whatever we are going to do, we have to be intentional and deliberate about it.”

The commission recently staged the Africa Running Conference and has already been offered the 2027 edition, a development Dikko believes underlines growing confidence in Nigeria’s capacity. He added that road running represents just one strand of a much wider ambition.

“It is not just about road running; it is about every sport. We want to be hosting events. That is the only way we can keep our infrastructure functional… and advance the sports economy we are talking about,” he said.

NSC Director General Bukola Olopade framed the hosting push as part of a broader production model designed to build talent and stimulate enterprise.

According to Olopade, Nigeria has sent more than 50 national teams to international competitions over the past year and hosted at least 12 events, in addition to domestic competitions such as the Gateway Games in Abeokuta.

“What we have consistently emphasised is the need to create a pool and a production line of talent, and to generate wealth by hosting international events in Nigeria,” Olopade told our correspondent, arguing that regular competitions on home soil provide athletes with exposure while strengthening the domestic sports market.

Dikko linked that approach directly to infrastructure renewal, pointing to provisions in the 2025 and 2026 federal budgets aimed at rehabilitating stadiums and facilities.

“If you check the 2025 and 2026 budgets, there is a major component dedicated to fixing infrastructure because without infrastructure, you cannot achieve much,” he said.

Dikko added that work is underway in partnership with state governments and private investors across the country.

“Where we want to build or rehabilitate a stadium, we are partnering with state governments and handing some facilities over to them. The Federal Government is also working with state governments to restore other stadiums since the President approved discussions with relevant authorities to bring back key facilities,” Dikko said.

“In Lagos, for instance, they are doing an excellent job rebuilding the National Stadium. They have almost demolished parts of it and are reconstructing it to meet modern standards. We are also handing it over to a private sector consortium that won the bid to manage and restore it.”

Olopade added that private sector involvement has been central to the commission’s momentum, crediting confidence in President Bola Tinubu’s reforms and the leadership team’s combined experience for attracting new commitments.

“With ease, Mallam Shehu Dikko can pick up the phone and speak to managing directors of multinational companies. I can do the same without hesitation. We have already put this into practice, and we are seeing traction,” he said.

He revealed that a private entity had committed to constructing a multi-million naira wrestling hall, while a gaming company had pledged to build a specialised facility for para-sports, adding that documentation was being compiled to demonstrate the direct and indirect economic impact of such initiatives.

Dikko also added that engagement with corporate Nigeria extended beyond headline sponsorship deals, disclosing that he recently met with representatives of the oil and gas sector in Abuja, where he urged them to look beyond organising sporting activities within their industry.

Just recently in Abuja, I hosted representatives from the oil and gas sector. Part of the discussion was that while they organise sports activities within their industry, they should also return to their companies and ensure that their CSR programmes invest in community sports infrastructure. Wherever they see available space in their communities, they should do something for sports,” Dikko said.

The commission’s ambitions have received public backing from President Tinubu, who announced a comprehensive reset of sports funding beginning from the 2026 fiscal year and pledging that sports funding will be released promptly going forward to avoid the bureaucratic delays that have historically disrupted preparation and participation.

For Dikko, the president’s endorsement signals a shift in how sport is viewed at the highest level of government.

Responding to early critics who dismissed the reform drive as rhetoric, he said recent developments spoke for themselves.

“Two weeks ago, Mr President personally tweeted on his official handle about the records of what sports achieved in 2025. Has that ever happened before in sports?” he questioned.

“There is nothing much to say; we are working. You can see what is happening.”

“Just recently in Abuja, I hosted representatives from the oil and gas sector. Part of the discussion was that while they organise sports activities within their industry, they should also return to their companies and ensure that their CSR programmes invest in community sports infrastructure. Wherever they see available space in their communities, they should do something for sports,” Dikko said.

For Dikko, the president’s endorsement signals a shift in how sport is viewed at the highest level of government.

Responding to early critics who dismissed the reform drive as rhetoric, he said recent developments spoke for themselves.

“Two weeks ago, Mr President personally tweeted on his official handle about the records of what sports achieved in 2025. Has that ever happened before in sports?” he questioned.

“There is nothing much to say; we are working. You can see what is happening.”

Sports

Fans, ex-internationals demand NFF board overhaul

Published

2 days ago

August 17, 2026

The Tide

Nigerian football fans and former internationals may have finally joined the call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to save Nigerian football from the grip of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), demanding a complete overhaul and the resignation of the board following a series of national-team heartbreaks, including the Super Eagles’ failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, their second consecutive absence and the Super Falcons’ recent loss of an automatic qualification spot for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.

Until now, football legend Segun Odegbami has been a lone voice in the vanguard of those calling on the Ibrahim Gusau-led NFF board to step aside. However, many ex-internationals, angered that the national embarrassment has now spilled over to the women’s team, have joined the call to “save our football.”

“We are demanding a total systemic clear-out and consequences at every tier of Nigerian football,” one of the former players said yesterday, pleading to remain anonymous to avoid “arrows” from what he described as desperate officials holding Nigerian football by the jugular.

Ahead of the September 27, 2026 elective congress of the NFF, scheduled to hold in Lafia, Nasarawa State, Chairman of the Advocacy for Nigeria Football Reforms Initiative, Prince Harrison Jalla, has also painted a gloomy picture of the future of Nigerian football.

Jalla’s position is in tandem with that of some aspirants who are also crying blue murder, alleging that the electoral procedure is skewed in favour of incumbent NFF President Ibrahim Musa Gusau to secure a smooth passage to a second term unopposed.

Jalla insisted that “all indicators are pointing to a gloomy picture for the future of Nigerian football, mainly due to administrative ineptitude, while the gladiators remain engrossed and fixated on the election.”

“The major crux of the election is the guidelines, which make it very difficult for other candidates to secure endorsements from across the six geopolitical zones to challenge Gusau.

“The NFF elective congress creates a skewed voting structure because [certain blocs] hold an overwhelming majority of the voting power, which critics argue marginalises key football stakeholders such as club owners, players, coaches, referees and sports writers.

“Out of the total delegates and voting structure, the 37 State FA chairmen form the primary voting bloc, making it difficult for independent candidates to win.

“This is so because of the marriage between the FA chairmen and the NFF. Most FA chairmen depend solely on the Federation for favours. Over time, during national and international engagements, the NFF uses such opportunities to reward the FA chairmen with trips and estacodes.

“They have been so compromised that no Jupiter would make them see reasons for a change. The system, therefore, heavily favours the incumbent leadership seeking re-election. That explains why they were in a hurry to pass a vote of confidence in the NFF leadership even when Nigerian football became topsy-turvy.

“As desperation has beclouded their reasoning, they have forgotten how low they have dragged Nigerian football.”

A cursory look at the catalogue of failures by Nigeria’s national teams will reveal this;

Super Eagles (Senior Men): Failed to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Their campaign ended in agonising fashion in November 2025 during the CAF playoff final, when they lost 4–3 on penalties to DR Congo. This marked the second consecutive World Cup missed by the senior national team. Earlier, in January 2026, they were also eliminated from the 2025 AFCON via a penalty shootout.

Super Falcons (Senior Women): Suffered an early continental exit by losing 1–0 to Cameroon in the 2026 WAFCON quarter-finals. The defeat stripped them of an automatic ticket to the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil, forcing them into an inter-confederation playoff route. Worse still, Banyana Banyana of South Africa stopped the Super Falcons with a 2-1 defeat in Morocco, marking Nigeria’s worst outing in the history of WAFCON.

Golden Eaglets (Men’s U-17): Failed to qualify for the U-17 AFCON and subsequently missed out on three consecutive FIFA U-17 World Cups — 2023, 2025 and 2026.

Flying Eagles (Men’s U-20): Missed both the 2026 U-20 AFCON and the FIFA U-20 World Cup.

Olympic Team (Men’s U-23): Failed to qualify for the 2023 U-23 AFCON, which directly resulted in their failure to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

An official NFF apology to the government and Nigerians was met with backlash, with fans dismissing it as “too little, too late” and “one apology too many”, while demanding actual resignations.

The current frustration among fans stems from what they regard as an unprecedented catalogue of systemic failures across all tiers of Nigeria’s national teams.

Segun Odegbami said the failures had become one too many.

“If you fail to take your team to the World Cup, you find out that more often than not, they vote you out or sack you.

“That’s the measure. If you have a coach who doesn’t do well, they sack him. If you have a player who is doing badly, you remove him.”

“These guys have not succeeded. They’re our friends; that’s the painful thing. We know ourselves. We are all in the business and, when we champion the fact that they should go, they make you an enemy.

“It’s not a personalised thing. They have failed and, if we go back to that route, we are going to fail as we have failed before,” he said.

The financial damage from missing recent major tournaments is equally devastating, with total losses estimated at between ?150 billion and ?300 billion in direct payouts and broader economic partnerships.

This continuous string of qualification failures has effectively choked off the federation’s primary revenue pipelines and left its local development initiatives starved of funds.

The economic wreckage breaks down across several critical areas. By failing to reach the expanded World Cup, the NFF forfeited a guaranteed baseline participation fee of $10.5 million, reportedly worth roughly ?15.5 billion.

This single tournament loss wiped out an amount equivalent to roughly 87 per cent of the NFF’s projected annual operational budget. Had the Super Eagles advanced beyond the group stage, the rewards would have risen above $12 million, while reaching the quarter-finals could have yielded up to $20 million in performance-related payments.

Early exits by the Super Falcons and the qualification failures of the youth teams, U-17, U-20 and U-23, mean the NFF has also missed out on vital developmental subsidies and travel grants normally provided by continental governing bodies.

Corporate organisations and major sports betting companies are scaling back their sponsorship valuations. Without global television exposure, the NFF cannot command premium rates for brand placement.

The federation also misses out on potential revenue from global jersey sales, training gear and licensed supporter memorabilia that normally spike around major tournaments.

By missing out on tournament participation, Nigeria also loses leverage to draw heavily from FIFA’s financial programmes aimed at upgrading domestic training academies and pitches.

Consecutive missed World Cups have further lowered the market value of the national team brand, making future broadcast and marketing rights significantly harder to sell at a premium.

Sports

Arokodare Tipped To Shine At Ajax

Published

2 days ago

August 17, 2026

The Tide

Former Ajax midfielder Hedwiges Maduro has praised Nigerian striker Tolu Arokodare, highlighting the forward’s strength and power and suggesting that he could prove valuable to Ajax in the Eredivisie.

Arokodare joined Ajax from Wolverhampton Wanderers on a season-long loan in July, with the Dutch club holding an option to make the move permanent.

He has already made an impact for his new side, providing an assist in Ajax’s 2-0 victory over PEC Zwolle in their opening Eredivisie fixture.

Maduro discussed Arokodare’s qualities during an appearance on ESPN’s Voetbalpraat, where he assessed how the Nigerian could complement Ajax’s attacking options.

He sees Arokodare as offering a different profile to Marcos Leonardo, particularly against opponents who defend deep and limit the space available for attacking runs.

Speaking about the Nigerian striker, Maduro highlighted his physical qualities and explained why he believes they could make him a valuable option for Ajax in the Dutch top flight.

“I think Tolu has something special, in terms of strength and power. I think he can be of real value in the Eredivisie,” Maduro said, as quoted by Ajax Showtime.

According to Maduro, the tactical demands of certain matches could make Arokodare’s physical presence an important option for Ajax, especially when opponents retreat towards their own penalty area.

He contrasted the situation with Leonardo, who he believes benefits from having space to make attacking runs. Maduro explained that when teams defend deep, those spaces become more difficult to find.

“Leonardo needs space. If teams drop back completely, where are you going to make those runs?

Then you get more use out of Tolu as a focal point to drop the ball,” he added.

Sports

Arsenal Fans Converge, Interact In PH

Published

2 days ago

August 17, 2026

The Tide

The Chairman of the Local Organizing Committee, LOC, of the Arsenal Nigeria Converge 2026, Ugochukwu Oputa, has said that over 25 states across Nigeria were involved in the second edition of the Arsenal Converge scheduled for Port Harcourt from August 14 to 16, 2026.

Oputa disclosed this on Sunday after the Converge meeting at the Ediz Wine Bar in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

According to him, Arsenal’s popularity cuts across the nation, and the Converge is organized to provide a period for supporters to network, interact, and harmonize.

“Knowing how Arsenal’s popularity is spread across the nation, it became necessary that all the different supporters of Arsenal club across the country harmonize and create a particular period where we can meet, network and interact,” Oputa said.

He outlined the five-day schedule of activities to include

Press conference,

Environmental sanitation and community service at Mile 1 Market, Diobu, involving both visitors and residents, arrival, welcome and cocktail party. Others included Games Day, football competition and other fun activities at the Rivers State University football pitch, Community Shield watch party yesterday, where all Arsenal supporters’ groups met, interacted, and discussed the future of Arsenal, including plans for the 2027 hosting rights of the Converge.

Oputa added that this year’s Converge which was in Port Harcourt, had over 3,000 fans registered.

“Port Harcourt Arsenal Community is a recognized supporters’ club of Arsenal in London and we have over 25 states that participated in the Arsenal Nigeria Converge 2026,” he said.

Also speaking, a member of the Nigeria Arsenal Supporters Working Committee, Nsikak Ntia, said that what distinguishes Arsenal supporters is their offline community impact.

“What we are doing here in Port Harcourt is beyond football. It’s a family that is growing. We had over 3,000 to 4,000 people on Saturday at the Rivers State University that shared the confidence that Arsenal represents,” Ntia said.

He noted that the club’s motto, ‘Victoria Concordia Crescit’ – ‘Victory Through Harmony’ – is the bedrock of the group.

“The work that we do at Mile 1 Market is to help with environmental protection and increase what we do in society.

“We also have future plans to promote environmental protection and better ways to handle waste.

“These are things that are germane for our future, the future of our young people and generations unborn.

” It goes beyond football, it goes beyond banter, it goes beyond yapping at each other.

“That is what Arsenal Football Club is all about. Arsenal has the most well-organized supporters’ club in Nigeria and Africa’ he sated.