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NFF Concludes Arrangements for FIFA MA Courses for Technical Instructors, Young Talents

Fola Badmus3 months ago3 months ago14 mins

All is set for the annual double-salvo FIFA Member Association courses for technical and physical fitness instructors, and for young talents in refereeing, with a total of 80 participants to undergo classroom andfield drilling from June 8 – 19 at the MKO Abiola National Stadium, Abuja. The programme for technical and physical fitness instructors, who are 40 in number, will commence on Monday, June 8 with the objective of bringing Nigeria’s technical and physical fitness instructors up to speed with current trends, tendencies and ideals, for them to imbibe global best practices in the refereeing business. World football-governing body, FIFA, is sending Technical Instructor Ali Mohamed Ahmed, as well as Fitness Instructor Boubaker Hanachi to superintend the programmes, alongside Nigerian instructors Felicia Okwugba, Peter Edibe, Emmanuel Imiere and Stella Emoji, and IT/Video Instructor Promise Uwaeme. For the technical and physical fitness programme, participants will be taken through the course objectives, challenges and tactical fouls, and preparation of practical training on day one, with new law changes, tactical approach, handball, offside, penalty area incidents and use of new FIFA red among other presentations. Practical training with referees and players will kick off each day’s programme. For the young talents programme, there will be presentations on challenges and tactical fouls, penalty area incidents, modern refereeing, positioning and reading, fitness test analysis, among others. The exercise for technical and physical fitness instructors will end of Friday, 13th June, exiting the stage for the Young Talents program that will last between 15th and 19th June also inside the MKO Abiola National Stadium. Participants for Technical and Physical Fitness Course: Uwaeme Promise, Baba Abel, Alex Mana, Austin Eyeroli, Alfred Saiki, Aundugh Robert, Patrick Ishaya, Ben Neji, Wokoma Innocent, Umoh Sylvanus, Nasiru Ibrahim, Aliyu Jingi, Isaac Bolatito, Bukola Olisa, Kelechi Mejuobi, Victor Ijeremen, Ikechukwu Okpechi, Adamu Gambo, Uhumnwang Mike, Babatunde Irukera, Philip Alkali, Nicholas Achikasim, Friday Awugo, Mohammed Bala, Aku Margaret, Ibrahim Budah, Hanson Paris, Grace Obaze, Sesan Odukoya, Ahmad Rufai, Apeh Paul, Surakar Mahmoud, Umuago Paul, Fatimo Oyeniyi, Bethel Nwanesi, Innocent Egwutora, Folusho Ajayi, Joshua Dogo, Abdulrashid Oyakhire, Michael Oladeni Participants for Young Talents Programme: Mansur Mahmud Ngaski, Gbemisola Solihat Yusuf, Bashir Moukhtar, Dominion Chisom Kalu, Ibrahim Adams Boyi, Emmanuel Ajewole, Kwanga Eric Terhile, Asakpi Oritsetsolayemi, Esther Joseph, Patience Abi Azi, Ehinola Aanu Paulina, Omowunmi Adeola Oluwole, Adepoju Michael Oluwajuwonlo, Suleyman Sani, Semiat Opeyemi Mustapha, Stephanie Tse Henbafan, Alohan Uzoma Osakpamwan, Isah Nagogo, Ruth Ogunrombi, Andrew Iorkon, Jamilu Hamisu, Rachael Onyekwere, Adie Emmanuel Unimike, Umar Musa Anukpo, Yakubu Aliyu, Ismail Ishaq, Idowu Stephen Omolade, Al-Ameen Kabiru Yusuf, Scholastica Amalachukwu Ikeobi, Dahiru Mustapha, Baffa Usman Usman,Uzaifa Abubakar Ilela, Ebenezer Folaesho, Muhammad Bin Lawal, Aminu Kabiru, Habibu Salihu, Idris Ibrahim Buba, Aminu Muhammed Yakubu, Aziz Ahmed, Capehas Hamen.

Showmax to Beam Live FIFA Club World Cup, UEFA Nations League Finals, Others

Fola Badmus4 months ago4 months ago15 mins

While the thrilling finale of the Premier League may have drawn to a close, Showmax Premier League is excited to announce that the beautiful game is far from over. Football fans across Africa can look forward to an exhilarating off-season filled with world-class action, ensuring not a single moment goes by without live football entertainment. The football feast includes the highly anticipated FIFA Club World Cup, on Sunday, 15 June 2025, where the planet’s elite clubs will battle it out for the prestigious global trophy. The tournament also features a galaxy of European giants, including powerhouses such as Real Madrid, Manchester City, Chelsea, Bayern Munich, PSG, Inter, Porto, Benfica, Borussia Dortmund, Juventus, Atletico Madrid, and Red Bull Salzburg. Adding to the star power, global icon Lionel Messi will lead his team, Inter Miami, into the competition, alongside strong South American contenders like Botafogo, Palmeiras, and Flamengo. This monumental tournament will be held in the United States, culminating in a spectacular final at the iconic MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. But the FIFA Club World Cup is just the beginning of Showmax Premier League’s comprehensive off-season offering. Fans can also look forward to the intense drama of the UEFA Nations League Finals, a biennial international football competition contested by the senior men’s national teams of the member associations of UEFA. This tournament, kicking off with the semi-finals on 4 June 2025, provides a competitive platform for Europe’s top nations, where footballing titans like Germany, Portugal, Spain, and France will vie for continental supremacy, battling through the semi-finals to reach the highly anticipated finals. The excitement continues with top-tier women’s football, as we bring you both the UEFA Women’s EURO tournament and the Women’s AFCON tournament. The UEFA Women’s EURO showcases the pinnacle of European women’s football, featuring the continent’s best national teams competing for glory and further elevating the sport’s profile. Similarly, the Women’s AFCON tournament highlights the incredible talent and growing prominence of women’s football across Africa, with nations battling for continental supremacy and qualification for global tournaments. Morocco will play host to the tournament from July 5-26, 2025 as the best women’s footballers in Africa gather to compete for the coveted trophy. Before you know it, the familiar roar of the Premier League will return as clubs embark on their Summer Series tours. These exciting pre-season clashes see top Premier League teams travel globally, competing in high-profile friendly matches to fine-tune their squads and prepare for the rigours of the new season. It’s a fantastic opportunity for fans to see their favourite teams in action before the competitive fixtures begin. And for the ultimate appetite cleanser ahead of the official kick-off, don’t miss the traditional Community Shield trophy match on, 9 August 2025,, a prestigious annual fixture that pits the reigning Premier League champions Liverpool against FA Cup champions Crystal Palace in a battle for early silverware and bragging rights.

FIFA Club Professionalisation and Management Program Begins in Abuja

Fola Badmus4 months ago4 months ago13 mins

A two-day FIFA Club Professionalisation and Management Programme workshop began in the Federal Capital, Abuja on Tuesday with President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau (MON) charging the participants to devote attention to the various sessions in order to improve their wisdom, knowledge and understanding towards improving the lot of the country’s domestic game. “The Nigeria Football Federation has been intentional in impressing it on the Clubs that they must work hard towards financial sustainability, and generally contribute to making the football ecosystem better for all stakeholders to be proud of the industry. “This workshop will go a long way in getting the message across in more profound manner, that the leagues and club football are the lifeblood of a nation’s sport, and that significant contributions to the Gross Domestic Product of our country can only happen through the activities and the gravitas that the leagues and clubs are able to establish to generate direct, indirect and induced income.” Gusau’s message was delivered by the NFF General Secretary, Dr Mohammed Sanusi (MON), who also implored the participants to be ready to implement the knowledge that they stand to gain in the two-day workshop for the good of the nation’s game. The vice chairman of Nigeria Premier Football League board, Alhaji Mohammed Nasir Saidu, represented the NPFL Chairman, Hon. Gbenga Elegbeleye, who is also the NFF 2nd Vice President. Participants include Chairmen and CEOs of the 20 Clubs in the Nigeria Premier Football League, Chairmen and CEOs of the NPFL, NNL, NWFL and the NLO, as well as some top officials of the NFF. The sessions on Tuesday focused on strategic planning and finance. Wednesday’s sessions will be on governance and commercial and marketing.

FIFA Club Management Program Berths in Nigeria

Fola Badmus4 months ago4 months ago03 mins

Officials of world football-ruling body, FIFA, have arrived in Nigeria to superintend a two-day workshop for chairmen and chief operating officers of Nigeria’s football leagues and premier league clubs, taking place at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel on Tuesday, 3rd June and Wednesday, 4th June 2025. The workshop is geared towards taking a critical look into the management model of Nigeria football clubs and the leagues, with the purpose of opening new vistas and insights in proper governance, improving commercial viability and broadening the world-view of the administrators to drive their teams towards real growth and sustainability. A total of 40 persons are expected from the 20 Nigeria Premier Football League clubs (Chairman and CEO of each club), with the Chairmen and Chief Executive Officers of the Nigeria Premier Football League, Nigeria National League, Nigeria Women Football League and the Nigeria Nationwide League One also to take part. President of NFF, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau, will lead a small team from the Federation, alongside the NFF 2nd Vice President, Hon. Gbenga Elegbeleye and the General Secretary, Dr Mohammed Sanusi. FIFA’s delegation is led by El Hadji Wack Diop, Head of FIFA Regional Office for West and Central Africa, and includes Rasoamahenina Sanda Manonisoa, Marcos Piccalo, Federico Perez, Javier Sobrino and Laurent Colette. Colette is a former managing director of French top club Olympique de Marseille, while Sobrino is a former chief strategy and innovation officer of Spain’s leading club, FC Barcelona. Each of the 20 NPFL clubs is expected to submit a document indicating a clear pathway to financial autonomy, while taking good advantage of the history and assets of the clubs to grow them into global brands. The sessions will offer nuggets on strategic planning, finance, commercial and marketing, and governance.

Trump Says Some Undocumented Immigrants May Stay Based on Employer Recommendations

Trump: 2026 World Cup Could End Russia War

Fola Badmus4 months ago4 months ago02 mins

Donald Trump has suggested playing at the 2026 World Cup could be an “incentive” for Russia to end its war with Ukraine. Ever since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the national football team has been banned from competing at international competitions by Fifa and Uefa. With the conflict in Ukraine still raging – despite Trump’s claims he would end the war on “day one” of being in office – Russia will not be playing at the 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico. On Tuesday, the first meeting of the Trump administration’s 2026 World Cup taskforce took place, with Trump speaking to reporters alongside Fifa president Gianni Infantino. The US president was unaware that Russia were banned from the tournament, telling a reporter who asked for his position on the Russia ban: “I didn’t know that, is that right?” “That is right,” said Infantino. “They are banned for the time being from playing but we hope that something happens and peace will happen so that Russia can be readmitted.” Trump then added: “That’s possible. Hey, that could be a good incentive, right? “We want to get them to stop. We want them to stop. Five thousand young people a week are being killed – it’s not even believable.” This isn’t the first time Trump has made questionable statements about the World Cup. Earlier this year, he claimed the political tensions between the US and their co-hosts Mexico and Canada could make the tournament ‘more exciting.’

Morocco 2025: Flamingos Set to Grab World Cup Ticket in Blida

Fola Badmus5 months ago5 months ago14 mins

Nigeria’s U17 girls, Flamingos, are firm and ready to pick the ticket for the country’s eighth appearance at the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup, despite the predictably-cold atmosphere of the Stade Mustapha Tchaker in Blida (outside Algiers), on Friday night. Friday’s encounter against their Algerian counterparts is the final leg of a final qualifying round fixture, with the Flamingos, bronze-medallists from the 2022 finals in India and quarter-finalists from the last edition in the Dominican Republic, holding on to a 4-0 first-leg advantage. The Federation Algerienne de Football (FAF) has scheduled the match to kick off at 8pm, at a time that the winds will begin to blow in stronger from the Mediterranean Sea. However, the Flamingos, who arrived in Algiers in the early hours of Wednesday aboard a Turkish Airline flight from Istanbul, are highly inspired by the imminence of another FIFA World Cup ticket as well as further financial windfall from the Nigeria Football Federation and billionaire business mogul Kunle Soname. Soname gifted the young players and their officials the sum of N4million (one million naira for every goal) following their commanding win over the North Africans at the Remo Stars Stadium on Saturday, while the NFF gave out the sum of N2million (five hundred thousand naira for every goal). President of NFF, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau and Hon. Soname have both confirmed that the same financial incentives are in place for the second leg in Blida on Friday. “Our objective is clear – to win the FIFA World Cup ticket. That is the big motivation. Yet, we have been further incentivized by the monetary rewards. My girls will go all out on Friday night,” Head Coach Bankole Olowookere said. Olowookere, who led the Flamingos to their last two World Cup ventures, will most likely rely on first-leg two-goal heroine Queen Joseph, lone-goal scorer Zainab Raji and Kaosarat Olanrewaju to start at the fore, with Shakirat Moshood, Muinat Rotimi and Philomena Isaiah supplying the passes from the midfield. Goalkeeper and captain Christiana Uzoma and defenders Azeezat Oduntan, Hannah Ibrahim, Christiana Sunday and Jumai Adebayo are also likely to start. The Confederation of African Football has selected Cameroonian official Marie Noelle Etong to be the referee, with her compatriots Marcelle Teikeu and Innocentia Ntangti as assistant referee 1 and fourth official respectively, while Chadian Ngarassoum Victorine will be assistant referee 2. Oumou Souleymane Kane from Mauritania will be commissioner and Sabelo Maphosa-Sibindi from Zimbabwe will be in the role of referee assessor.

Gabon Striker Boupendza Dies after 11th Floor Fall

Fola Badmus5 months ago5 months ago03 mins

Gabon international striker Aaron Boupendza has died at 28 following a fall from the 11th floor of a building in China, the Gabonese Football Federation (FEGAFOOT) said on Wednesday. Boupendza, who joined Zhejiang FC earlier this year, was in good form with four goals in six matches. “At 28, Boupendza is remembered as a great striker who left a lasting impression at the African Cup of Nations in Cameroon (in 2022),” FEGAFOOT said in a statement. “Trained at CF Mounana and Bordeaux in France, the Gabonese striker joined the Chinese league after a brief spell in Romania. “FEGAFOOT and the great family of Gabonese soccer offer his biological family their sincere condolences in this difficult time.” Authorities in China have launched an investigation to find out whether the fall was an accident, suicide, or the result of foul play, media reports in Romania said. There was no official confirmation for the cause of death. Born in Moanda, Boupendza joined French side Bordeaux in 2016, spending most of his time on loan at other French clubs. In 2020 he signed for Turkish side Hatayspor, and was top scorer in the Super Lig in 2020-21 before moving on to Al Arabi, with whom he won the Qatar FA Cup, and Al Shabab in the Saudi Pro League. Spells in the USA with FC Cincinnati and Romania’s Rapid Bucharest followed ahead of his move to China in January. “It is with great sadness that I learn of the tragic death of Aaron Boupendza, a talented centre-forward who brought honour to Gabonese soccer,” Gabon President Brice Oligui Nguema said. “I offer my sincere condolences to his family and friends. May God bless his soul.”

117 Referees Shortlisted for 2025 Club World Cup

Fola Badmus5 months ago5 months ago05 mins

Following a thorough preparation process that included seminars with FIFA referees from all six confederations, the FIFA Referees Committee has announced the match officials who will oversee games at the groundbreaking FIFA Club World Cup 2025, which will take place from 14 June to 13 July across 12 stadiums in 11 Host Cities in the United States. A total of 117 match officials – 35 referees, 58 assistant referees and 24 video match officials – from 41 member associations will take charge of the matches. Commenting on the appointment of Team One, the chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee, Pierluigi Collina, said that it would be a “privilege” for those chosen to officiate at the very first edition of the FIFA Club World Cup: “As every new competition starts, the selected referees are among those who have the privilege to be part of this for the first time, so I’m sure that all the match officials will be thrilled. “We are coming from high standard performances delivered during the last FIFA tournaments. So the bar is higher and when you get the bar higher, it’s more difficult to keep the standard. But we are working very hard and Team One will make a solid contribution to the success of this exciting competition. “I like to compare the preparation of a football team and a referee team because both need to work hard and deliver to the highest standards,” noted FIFA Director of Refereeing Massimo Busacca. “We try to find as much uniformity and consistency as possible in what we are doing because football is the same everywhere, but we know that we have to understand the different mentality in football, and this is crucial.” In line with the changes to the Laws of the Game approved by The International Football Association Board (The IFAB), FIFA will implement new rules designed to cut down on time-wasting by goalkeepers. If a goalkeeper holds the ball for longer than eight seconds (with the referee using a visual five-second countdown), the referee will award a corner kick to the opposing team (rather than the current indirect free kick for more than six seconds). In addition, following The IFAB’s support for FIFA’s undertaking to test body cameras worn by match officials to identify possible future use and develop quality and safety standards, referees will be equipped with body cameras on a trial basis at the FIFA Club World Cup. The live footage from these cameras will be made available to fans across the world via DAZN, the exclusive global broadcaster of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 . “We think that it is a good chance to offer the viewers a new experience, in terms of images taken from a perspective, from an angle of vision, which was never offered before,” said Mr Collina, emphasising that it was a trial. “It also has a purpose in terms of referee coaching because, of course, having the possibility to see what the referee sees is important in the debriefing, to evaluate how the call was made by the referee. So, it’s a combination of a new experience for broadcasters and also for coaching purposes.“