NFF’s media manager, Olajire bags doctorate degree 

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Director of Communication, Ademola Olajire has added to his feathers.  The seasoned journalist bagged Doctor of Philosophy in Mass Communication from University of Lagos recently.  Olajire was the Deputy Sport Editor at Vanguard newspapers before his appointment as the Director of Communications, NFF.   The media buff studied Mass Communication/Media Studies for his Master of Science (M.Sc.) also at University of Lagos.  Present at the award of doctorate degree ceremony were; the Panelists, Ist Supervisor, Dr.Ibitayo Popoola, Representative of PG School, Dr. Omon Oshiki,the Internal Examiner and Immediate Past Head of Department, Prof Adepoju Tejumaye, the Incumbent Head of Department, Panel Chair, Prof Oloruntoba Sunday,  Other are l; Prof. Dele Odunlami, the Internal- External, Dr Peter Oni and lthe second Supervisor, Prof. Ismail Ibraheem.

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NFF commiserates with Governor Eno on wife’s demise

The Nigeria Football Federation on Friday commiserated with Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State on the death of his wife, Her Excellency, Mrs Patience Umo Eno. Mrs Umo Eno reportedly died in hospital on Thursday, 26th September following an illness. President of NFF, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau, expressed deep shock at the unfortunate occurrence, saying the Federation and the Nigeria Football fraternity as a whole felt the pain of the Number One citizen of Akwa Ibom State and his family. “We are deeply saddened by the demise of Her Excellency, Mrs Patience Umo Eno. This is heart-rending. Our hearts go out to His Excellency, Governor Eno and the immediate family that Mrs Eno has left, as well as their extended family, friends and relations, and the good people of Akwa Ibom as a whole. “Her passing at this time, when her robust support for her husband is needed as he seeks to take governance in Akwa Ibom State to a new level of excellence, is very sad.” Gusau prayed that the Almighty will grant the deceased eternal rest, and also grant Governor Eno, the immediate family and the people of Akwa Ibom State the fortitude to bear the huge loss.   

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Eguavoen to continue as Super Eagles head coach 

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on Thursday approved the recommendation of its Technical and Development Sub-Committee for the Federation’s Technical Director, Coach Augustine Eguavoen to continue in his role as Head Coach of the Super Eagles, and lead the team in its 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches against Libya next month. The 58-year-old, in temporary charge of the squad he had led three times previously, steered the three-time African champions to a 3-0 defeat of Benin Republic and scoreless draw with Rwanda in Matchdays 1 and 2 earlier this month. Eguavoen and the current technical crew that also includes Fidelis Ilechukwu, Daniel Ogunmodede, Olatunji Baruwa and Tomaz Zorec will also take charge of the Super Eagles B team for the qualifying campaign for next year’s African Nations Championship, otherwise known as CHAN. With the departure of Mr. Randy Waldrum, the Executive Committee also approved the recommendation of the Technical and Development Sub-Committee for Coach Justin Madugu to lead the remaining technical crew and take charge of the Senior Women National Team, Super Falcons, pending the appointment of a substantive Head Coach. The Super Falcons’ next big engagement is the Women Africa Cup of Nations finals, taking place in Morocco in the summer of next year.

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Taiwo Awoniyi Foundation supports Next Generation of Football Talents in Kwara

Nottingham Forest and Super Eagles striker, Taiwo Awoniyi, is proud to announce the Taiwo Awoniyi Foundation’s support for the Kwara Kiddies League.  Through his foundation, Awoniyi will present sets of jerseys to all participating teams in the league. As a Dettol ambassador, Awoniyi has also secured support from the leading hygiene brand, which will provide essential gifts to the young athletes.  This partnership underscores Awoniyi’s commitment to promoting health, hygiene, and sports development among Nigeria’s youth. The jersey presentation ceremony will take place on Sat. Sept. 28 at the Kwara Football Academy.  Additionally, Awoniyi will launch the “Wyscout Camera” initiative, aimed at showcasing the talents of Kwara Kiddies League players to a global audience. To further support the well-being of the young athletes, Awoniyi’s foundation will introduce a meal program, providing a nutritious meal to each player. It would be recalled that the striker signed a 3 year deal with the league organisers in June to help develop young aspiring footballers in Kwara to provide them the opportunity to achieve their dreams of playing professional football at the highest level.

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Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania to host CHAN 2024 

The Confederation African Football (CAF) has confirmed that Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania as co-host Nations of the CAF African Nations Championship (CHAN). The Africa Nations Championship will be played between 01- 28 February 2025. The host stadiums and training venues will be confirmed in due course. The road to Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania  will kick-off with the first round of Qualifiers on the weekend of 25-27 October 2024 and 01-013 November 2024. The Second Round of the Qualifiers will be played on 20-22 December and 27-27 December 2024. The qualification slots for the tournament have been allocated as follows: Zones WAFU A, WAFU B, UNAF, UNIFFAC, and COSAFA will each have three qualifying teams. The CECAFA zone, which includes the three host countries, will receive an additional slot due to their automatic qualification as hosts. As a result, the total number of teams qualifying for the final tournament will be increased to 19 teams. Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania will participate in the Qualifiers and in addition to their automatic qualification as hosts, the team achieving the best result in the CECAFA qualifiers will also advance to the final tournament.

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Mbappe suffers thigh injury

Real Madrid’s French superstar Kylian Mbappe has suffered from a thigh injury on Wednesday.  “Following tests carried out today by Real Madrid’s Medical Services on our player Kylian Mbappe, he has been diagnosed with an injury to the biceps femoris in his left leg. His progress will be monitored,” the Spanish club’s statement read. France forward Mbappe, 25, who signed a five-year contract with Real Madrid in July, has scored seven goals in his nine appearances for the Whites.  Mbappe left Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) after a seven-year stint. He has won six French Ligue 1 titles with PSG, and was the French champion with Monaco in 2017. Mbappe also helped France win the 2018 FIFA World Cup held in Russia. One of the best players in the world, Mbappe scored 256 goals in 308 matches for PSG to be the French club’s all-time top scorer.

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Nwaneri: I’m buzzing at Arsenal after 16 years 

Nigeria-British-born Ethan Nwaneri was over the moon to have marked his first senior start with two goals in Wednesday’s 5-1 win over Bolton. The Hale End graduate netted brace to help send Arsenal through to the fourth round of the Carabao Cup. “I’m buzzing,” he said. “I’m so happy to have helped the team go through to the next round and just ready for whatever’s next.” Supporters at Emirates Stadium liked what they saw, so much so they began signing “Ethan Nwaneri, he’s one of our own.” “It’s a great feeling when the club you love, the club you’ve grown up with the fans are chanting that,” he said. “So yeah, it’s a good feeling. “It’s a surreal feeling. It’s a feeling I’ve wanted to feel for almost 16 years of my life so to actually feel it, it’s crazy… just want more of it. “All them players that I’ve played with since I’ve been like 9 and now we’re on the big pitch together, it’s a crazy feeling. You know, it’s good.” Nwaneri has been regularly involved with the first team in recent weeks, playing in the north London derby and travelling to the huge game against Manchester City. “It’s been tough,” he said. “It’s been intense, but I think it’s definitely helped me as a player, helped me to see what it’s like, how they prepare. I think I’ve added that to my game, so definitely it’s been good to be around them players.  “100% I think there’s a perfect balance for when they’re on me and kind of telling me what to do, but definitely I think they definitely put an arm around me as well so I think it’s a good balance.”

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