NFF Archives | Page 2 of 12

Côte d’Ivoire 2025: Flying Eagles to play group phase matches in Korhogo

Our Reporters2 weeks ago2 weeks ago02 mins

Seven-time African champions, Nigeria will commence their participation in the 2025 Africa U20 Cup of Nations finals with a game against the Young Pharaohs of Egypt on Wednesday, 30th April, at the 20,000-capacity Amadou Gon Coulibaly stadium in Korhogo. The encounter is billed to kick off at 5pm CIV time (6pm Nigeria time). The Flying will next take on Morocco’s Young Atlas Lions at the same venue, starting 8pm local time (9pm Nigeria time) on Saturday, 3rd May. Nigeria, who qualified for the finals following a successful defence of their WAFU B U20 Championship title in Lome in October 2024, will then wrap up their group B campaign with a session against South Africa, also in Korhogo on Tuesday, 6th May, starting from 5pm local time (6pm Nigeria time). The Flying Eagles, quarter-finalists at the last edition of the FIFA U20 World Cup in Argentina in 2023, are currently camping in Katsina, courtesy of the State Government, in the first phase of their final preparations for the continental championship. A semi-final spot in Côte d’Ivoire will guarantee the Eagles a spot in this year’s FIFA U20 World Cup finals in Chile, 27th September – 19th October.

Chelle raises alarm over fake social media account

Our Reporters2 weeks ago2 weeks ago01 mins

Super Eagles’ manager, Eric Chelle has stated that he currently manages no other social media handles other than his Instagram page. The official Super Eagles’ twitter handle, @NGSuperEagles, posted this disclaimer on Saturday. “DISCLAIMER. “Please be advised that Super Eagles Head Coach, Eric Chelle, does not possess an X account. “Exercise caution and be wary of scams or any misleading information.”

2026 World Cup Race: Ekong says Eagles feel great to be back in contention

Our Reporters2 weeks ago2 weeks ago04 mins

Sitting quietly at one corner of the departure hall of the Kigali International Airport on Saturday morning, Super Eagles’ captain William Ekong had a relaxed mien about him, and minced no words in saying that Friday’s victory over Rwanda’s Amavubi was just the statement the Eagles needed to put out as the World Cup race reached halfway mark. “It was important to make the statement that we did, and we’re all happy about it, and the way we did it. Of course, we have not qualified and there’s still a lot of work, but we have started the recovery in a good way and we just have to keep working hard. “I don’t want to go into the circumstances that made the first four matches go the way they went. The good thing is we can still recover and revive the campaign, and we have done that.” Ekong’s firm leadership, and Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman and Simon Moses’ zest at the fore, were all too evident and impactful as the Eagles coasted to a 2-0 win over hosts Rwanda at the Amahoro Stadium, throwing up nostalgia of the strong squad that wowed all and came within 23 minutes of lifting the Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire early last year. As the chartered ValueJet Airline’s CRJ-900 aircraft touched down at the Victor Attah International Airport, Uyo at exactly 2pm on Saturday, Ekong told thenff.com that he would be rallying the troops ahead of Tuesday’s Day 6 encounter against the Warriors of Zimbabwe. “We read somewhere that the Zimbabweans are being motivated to come to Uyo and get a result. They should forget it. We are hugely motivated by the ambition to play at the FIFA World Cup. Apart from myself and Alex (Iwobi) and perhaps a couple others, who were part of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, this generation is hungry to play at the highest level. We want to make Nigeria proud and at the same time, do ourselves proud.” Victor Osimhen, whose brace unscrambled the calculations of the Amavubi and made them disappoint the capacity crowd that included President Paul Kagame, said at the Victor Attah Airport. “We are ready. The remaining matches are wars and we must fight them with all that we have to win.” Victory on Tuesday evening will take Nigeria to nine points, and in firm contention for the ticket, especially if Benin Republic and South Africa cancel themselves out inside Abidjan’s Stade Félix Houphouet-Boigny.

Osimhen revives Super Eagles’s World Cup hope in Kigali

Our Reporters2 weeks ago2 weeks ago02 mins

A brace from Galatasaray of Turkey striker, Victor Osimhen were all the Super Eagles needed to revive hopes of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup to be hosted by United States of America, Canada and Mexico. Osimhen broke deadlock in the 11th minute when he tapped in a free kick by his successor and the current African Player of the Year Ademola Lookman. Osimhen broke loose and shipped the ball past the onrushing Rwandan goalkeeper to increase the tally at the close of the first half of the tie. The former African champions now placed fourth with 6 points behind South Africa, who currently the log with 10 points, while the Republic of Benin and Rwanda are on eight and nine points respectively. Nigeria however must consolidate on her winning streak when they host the Warriors of Zimbabwe in Match Day 6 of the Qualifying series in Uyo next week, Tuesday. While Nigeria tackles Zimbabwe in Uyo, The Squirrels of Benin will play host to South Africa, and Lesotho would be Rwanda’s guests.

Arsenal ready £65m offer for Osimhen

Our Reporters1 month ago1 month ago03 mins

Arsenal are plotting a summer move to sign on loan Napoli forward Victor Osimhen in the summer transfer window, according to Italian outlet Tuttojuve. The Nigerian international attracted persistent interest last summer, with Chelsea coming closest to sealing a deal before it fell through. Amid an injury crisis upfront, Arsenal have now shown interest in signing the prolific forward, who has registered 25 goal contributions this season. According to Tuttojuve, Arsenal are preparing an offer to sign the 26-year-old from Napoli in the summer transfer window. The report adds that the North London club are ready to trigger his release clause by placing a €75m (£61m) bid to sign the forward. Amid interest from other clubs, Arsenal are looking to fast-track the transfer as the Italian outlet claims that the club will submit a bid to beat competition from other clubs, including Juventus, to sign the Nigerian star. Osimhen is currently on loan with Turkish League defending champions, Galatasaray, and he’s set to return to the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona this summer, where he’s expected to leave with a year left on his contract. During the last summer and winter transfer window, a prolific out-and-out centre-forward was believed to be high on Arsenal’s transfer list. It appears Mikel Arteta still has full confidence in Kai Havertz up front as the German international has been utilized in the centre-forward role for the Gunners this season. With nine Premier League goals and 15 in all competitions, the numbers do not entirely depict a bad output from the 25-year-old, who has also provided five assists this season. However, if the Gunners are to have a more potent shot at the title, the need for a prolific forward cannot be undermined. A swoop for Osimhen could hand Arteta a box dominator the team has lacked, and his all-around play, technicality, and goalscoring prowess could be vital assets to further reinforce the Gunners’ attack next season if he joins.

President Federation Cup: NFF insists on this weekend for finals in all States and the FCT

Our Reporters1 month ago1 month ago01 mins

The Nigeria Football Federation has again declared that all 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory must stage the final matches of their 2025 President Federation Cup competition on Saturday, 22nd February or Sunday, 23rd February 2025. In a statement to secretaries of Football Associations in all the 36 States and the FCT, NFF’s Director of Competitions, Ruth David, reiterated: “Final matches are to be played ONLY ON 22nd/23rd, except in special cases and as approved by the NFF “Failure to adhere to the above attracts a fine of N1,000,000 (One million naira only).” The National Play-Off of this year’s competition has been scheduled for 5th March, with the National Draw one week later, while the Rounds of 64, 32 and 16 are scheduled for 19th March, 2nd April and 16th April 2025 respectively. The quarter-finals have been slated for 3rd and 4th May, with the semi-finals fixed for 17th and 18th May.

NFF sets Tuesday deadline for CAF B-License Coaching Course registration

Our Reporters1 month ago1 month ago03 mins

The Nigeria Football Federation has announced that midnight on Tuesday, 25th February 2025 will be the deadline for registration, for those who desire to participate in the four-month CAF B-License Coaching Course that will run between April and August this year. The course, according to the NFF Technical Director, Coach Augustine Eguavoen, is designed to enhance the capacity of Nigerian coaches and prepare them for current and future challenges, and is for both men and women coaches. “As I stated some weeks ago, the CAF B-License course is part of NFF’s strategic effort to build the capacity of coaches across the country, and will be done in modules. It will run between 7th April and 25th August 2025, and to be eligible, a candidate must be an active coach, possess a CAF C-License certificate that has been put to use in the past two years, must be able to read and write in the English language, have basic computer skills and a laptop, have a valid G-mail account, and must submit a medical certificate that proves he/she is physically and mentally fit to undertake the course. “The response has been pretty awesome, and that is why we now have to bring the deadline forward. The new deadline is midnight of Tuesday, 25th February 2025 for intending participants.” Last year, the NFF organised a CAF C-License programme exclusively for women – the first-ever – which drew 30 women coaches from across the country, including a good number of former Nigeria international players. The three-module course took place between July and September 2024.

NFF mourns passing of midfield pearl, Ayo Ogunlana

Our Reporters2 months ago2 months ago03 mins

The Nigeria Football Federation has condoled the family of former Nigeria international midfielder Ayo Ogunlana, who died in Kaduna on Friday after observing his early-morning walk. NFF General Secretary, Dr Mohammed Sanusi, showered tributes on the departed midfield pearl, who was a star attraction during a number of important Nigeria FA Cup battles in the 1980s and held sway in the middle for the Super Eagles in the late 1980s, and at the 1990 Africa Cup of Nations finals in Algeria. “We are very sad to learn of the sudden passing of Ayo Ogunlana, only a couple of weeks after the demise of another former Eagle, Moses Effiong (a member of the 1980 AFCON-winning Green Eagles squad, in far away USA). Ogunlana was a great midfielder who made playing football look so easy with his majestic touches and turns, and his magnificent free-kicks. “We pray that the Almighty will grant both of them eternal rest and grant the families they have left behind the fortitude to bear the losses.” Ogunlana was magisterial in the midfield as Nigeria overhauled Guinea and Zimbabwe to qualify for the 1990 Africa Cup of Nations, and was imperial against Cameroon in a 1990 FIFA World Cup qualifying match in Ibadan that the Super Eagles won with an emphatic 2-0. He also played in the 1990 ECOWAS Cup competition that Nigeria hosted in Kaduna. In March 1990, the midfield generalissimo earned rave reviews as Nigeria finished with the silver medals at the 17th Africa Cup of Nations in Algeria, even coming close to bagging Nigeria a late equalizer in the final against hosts and winners Algeria, from his favourite dead-ball position.