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The 2012 Annual General Congress of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) will begin in Port Harcourt on Thursday.
Chairmen of the 36 state football associations in the country as well as top officials of the NFF will converge in the capital to deliberate on issues surrounding Nigerian football in the past year.
The venue of the congress had been dogged with controversy with association chairmen kicking against the choice of Port Harcourt as venue for the congress following comments credited to the Rivers State governor, Chibuike Amaechi accusing the NFF of corruption.
That has now been put to bed and president of the NFF, Aminu Maigari has now voiced his sentiments on the upcoming congress.
“We expect a very good congress in Port Harcourt as we prepare to take our football forward. It has been an eventful year and all members of the Nigerian football family will be sharing ideas on how to move the game forward,” Maigari excl...
Sports
Fourteen clubs have confirmed their participation in the forthcoming FCT Unity handball Championship scheduled to take place in Old Parade Ground in Abuja from 20th – 24th October, 2012.
The championship which is being organized by Centre for Sports Excellence in collaboration with FCT Handball Association is sponsored by the Office of Special Assistant to the President on Physical & health and supported by Nigeria Handball Veterans Association.
According to a statement from the chairman of the Local Organizing Committee Bala Mohammed shows that eight male and six female teams have confirmed their participation.
The male teams are the defending champions Safety Shooters of Abuja, Key Boys (Nigeria Prisons), Civil Defence, Sokoto State, Lagos State, Kano State, Benue state and Kaduna State while the female teams are Plateau State, Kaduna State, Lagos State, Civil Defence, Road Safety and Imo State.
While commenting on this y...
Sports
From JACOB ONJEWU DICKSON, Kaduna --
Katsina House of Assembly Fives Club defeated Katsina Royal Garden Fives Club 2-1 to win the maiden edition of the Governor Shehu Shema Fives Competition, which ended at the weekend in Katsina.
Third position went to Kangiwa Fives Club, Sokoto who beat their opponents 2-1 in the third place match.
For the awards category, Kangiwa Fives Club picked the trophy for the Most Behaved Team.
In other awards, Yauri Fives Club, Kebbi emerged the Most Improved Team, while Suleiman Ahmad from Kangiwa Fives Club finished as the Most Valuable Player.
In an interview with New Nigerian Sports yesterday, the Co-ordinator, National Sports Commission (NSC) North-West Zone 1, Dr. Ademola Are described the competition as a huge success.
He explained that the Emir of Katsina, HRH Abdulmumuni Usman was physically present to add colour to the closing ceremony as the Father of the Day.
"We are happy that it was su...
Sports
From SANI YUSIF, Kano --
THE Deputy Governor of Kano state, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje has said that Kano state is fully ready for the 18th National Sports Festival slated in Lagos next month.
Ganduje made this known recently at the Sani Abacha Stadium while receiving the Torch of Unity in Kano to signify the preparation for the kick off date of the sports festival.
According to him, Kano has never absent itself from the festival since from its inception to date and is fully ready for this year’s event in Lagos.
The state number two administrator who described Kano Governor, Engr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso as sports loving, then highlighted that their administration had invested a lot and achieved same in sports development.
Only recently, the deputy governor said, Pillars FC won Nigeria’s Premier League shield which gave them the mandate to represent this country and play among the best Africa’s club sides.
“Kano Pillars ba...
Sports
[caption id="attachment_2262" align="alignright" width="300"] FLASHBACK -- From Left: Minister of Sports, Malam Bolaji Abdullahi; Vice President Namadi Sambo, President Goodluck Jonathan; Gov. Chibuike Amaechi of Rivers State and the NFF President, Alhaji Aminu Maigeri watching Super Eagles training at the National Stadium Abuja in preparation for their match against Liberia in Monrovia. The game ended 2-2[/caption]
President of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF), Alhaji Aminu Maigari has for the umpteenth time pledged the Federation’s maximum support towards the Golden Eaglets’ qualification for the 2013 African Under-17 Championship to be held in Morocco.
Alhaji Maigari, who met with officials and players of the National Under-17 team at their Princeville Hotel camp in Calabar yesterday, said the Federation would not shirk its responsibility to the team even as he promised them a special bonus package after their forthc...
Sports
The Arsenal Kiddies Football Club of Ilorin pipped Mayor Football Club of Offa by a lone goal to lift the Kwara Pillar of Sports Under-16 Cup competition in an entertaining final played at Osi, Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State.
Skillful Tunde Alabi of Arsenal Kiddies scored the only goal in the gritty encounter off a free-kick when he fired in a cylinder that beat Mayor FC’s safe hands.
Kwara Pillar of Sports, Chief Donatus Agu Ejidike who commended the organizers, the Youth Sports Federation of Nigeria (YSFON) stated that the choice of Osi as venue for the 3rd edition of Pillar of Sports Under-16 competition was premised on his interest in making rural areas have a feel of sporting life and exhibit their talents.
Chief Ejidike noted that as Nigeria marks her 52nd Independence Anniversary, youth empowerment should be the focus of the country which he stressed that sports is a veritable platform to gainfully empower the...
Sports
From Evelyn Dadu, Abuja
Minister of State for
the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide, yesterday directed the Social Development Secretariat (SDS) to reconstitute all the boards of sports associations in the FCT by December this year.
The minister gave the directive at a meeting with the Mandate Secretary of the SDS, Mrs. Blessing Onuh; Director of Sports Department in the SDS, Alhaji Musa Alim Mohammed and the executives of FCT Chapter of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN).
The sports associations are Basketball, Handball, Karate, Volleyball, Judo, Boxing, Taekwondo, Hockey, Golf, Badminton, Kick- Boxing, Special Sports, Traditional Sports, Wrestling, Weight- lifting, Swimming, Gymnastics, Tennis, Table Tennis, Shooting and Squash.
Akinjide said, “We need committed persons to serve on the boards of these sports associations. People should apply and due diligence should be undertaken on them...
Sports
From RAMSAY UGELE, Abuja --
Super Eagles coach, Stephen Okechukwu Keshi has rubbished claims that he still plays the 4-2-4 formation in modern day football, saying that what he plays in reality is 4-4-2, which his foreign-based players have not been able to inteprete well for him when they file out for the Super Eagles.
Speaking at his weekly media parley yesterday at the team’s camp, coach Keshi said “what we play as a team is 4-4-2 formation but my problem is that surprisingly the foreign-based players can’t cope with it when it matters, expartiating further he said: in the heat of the game my two flanks players don’t fall back to assist the middle, that is why it looks as if we play the old fashion system of 4-2-4, a style we did not even play in my days.
He put the blame on the doorsteps of the foreign-based, as he claim that his home-based have mastered it than the foreign-based. Keshi however made excuse for the fore...
Sports
Super Eagles boss, Stephen Okechukwu Keshi has reacted swiftly to news making the rounds that Liberian President, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, has promised the Lone Star huge dollars rain if they upset the form books by defeating Nigeria in Calabar, in the final round qualifier for the Nations Cup 2013.
Speaking in Abuja, during a weekly media parley, Keshi said it was good motivation for the Liberians, but declared that the Super Eagles are already motivated enough by the NFF to win. The government and people that will be seen when they file out on October 13 against Liberia is evident.
“We surely need money for the players and officials but that is not the motivation now, the need to return to the Nations Cup is the driving force and the players are angry that they missed out the last time and want to prove that they have returned to be among Africa’s best. Money will surely come later,” he said.
He also said the team will be de...
Sports
Flamingoes head coach, Peter Dedevbo, has called for calm after his side’s whitewash of hosts, Azerbaijan at the Fifa Under17 Women’s World Cup.
Nigeria’s Flamingoes defeated their Azerbaijani counterparts 11-0 lastTuesday.
But Dedevbo does not want the routing of the hosts to “get into our heads” as they prepare to face Colombia in their last group game on Saturday.
“When we arrived Azerbaijan for the tournament, I told my girls not to underrate any team. This can be seen in the way we approached each team and today’s (Tuesday’s) match.
“I thank God and my girls for the victory, but we will not let this get into our heads. We will continue to apply the same approach to every game,” said the Nigerian trainer after his side’s win over Azerbaijan.
This is the second time the Flamingoes have beaten the host nation of a Fifa tourney. In Trinidad and Tobago two years ago, it ended 2-1 in favour of Flamingoes.
T...