Nigerian football enters into coma, who saves it from self destruct?

Maigari...can he save Nigerian football again?

I have always said it that whatever is the fight or the struggle that is running the game down in Nigeria, the game must and should be effectively insulated. Keen followers of this blog will also agree that eight months ago I had argued, the insulation is temporary. The conduit insulating the game is now heavily leaking. The game is already in a mess. We have a man-made force majeaure on our hands.

The indefinite postponement of the NFF AGM has sounded the death knell of football in the nation. Mark my words again. It will come to pass. As the NFF Board meets tomorrow, can they come off the issues dividing the board?

Clubs and players will suffer:

Can the NFF AGM still hold in this December? Whether yes or no, one thing is sure, the pre-season logistics of the NPL secretariat and the clubs will surely suffer. Had members of the NFF Board understand the technicalities involved in football management, they would have insulated the game from their own dirty politics.

While the ‘opposition’ has been graciously benevolent to have insulated the game from the long battle for the issues of legality of the administration of the game leading to two valid court judgements, why is it that the strange bed fellows who are presently administering the game cannot insulate the game? So sad.

Option? Play abridged league in all the sectors (Premier, Women, National and Amateur leagues). Anyhow it goes, the clubs and the players will be the biggest victims.

Don’t forget that continental championships will start early next season, the Nigerian clubs will not get adequate preparatory matches. Clubs will be playing salaries and allowances in vacuum. Their pre-season which is what clubs used to do a long term preparation to enable players cope with the rigours of the league especially in the closing phases will and in the current situation, cannot be met by any of the clubs. This will open the players to many avoidable fitness related injuries.

Clubs in the continent face early exit: I am afraid that the clubs in the Continent will either have to organize their own friendlies to keep their players in good shape for the continental matches. This is just going to be extra expensive. Had the league been in place, they are sure of at least one match every week with coaches can use to experiment on formation and player blending. To this, I submit my fears, early exit for the Nigerian representatives in the continent.

The Rotimi Amaechi factor: Given that the NFF and Governor Rotimi Amaechi had consistently and in the public for a always disagreed on matters of the Presidential Task force for the 2010 World Cup qualification is on ground. The NFF has not, as it is usual with it, called him all manners of unprintable names. They have a tradition when they disagree with you calling you stupid, dirty language names.

The same NFF people (having no shame or decorum) could apply to the same Amaechi to help them host their AGM in his state. Haba! Though, there are unconfirmed allegations that the top echelon of the NSC had reached the governor to object to hosting the AGM as part of the tools of war.   This does not sound strong but it is tenable.

Two, Amaechi as the chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum can reach out to all his members not to host the AGM. In this event what is the likely outcome?

Three, Amaechi has two teams in the NPL in Sharks of Port Harcourt and Dolphins of Port Harcourt. He can reach his governor friends to say, please change the FA chairmen in your states. After which they can be briefed. They can also brief their representatives in all the leagues. The briefing can be, go and impeach the Board of the NFF. Is this not feasible?

NFF crisis: The untold stories behind the scene

*Board meeting to hold tomorrow in Abuja

By Olajide Fashikun

The crisis within Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) which was a subject of speculations has taken a new dimension with secret meetings and plots allegedly being hatched among the topmost members of the football administration against themselves.
Already, the 15-man board are in two clear camps. The crisis is helping the tattered Nigerian Premier League (NPL) to be unable to meet statutory conditions to commence the 2012-2013 season months after it should have started. 

Baribote...sidelined on London deal

Informed sources say money, distrust, northernisation of the secretariat and the issue of the NPL may have caused the deep rift in the structure of the NFF. As it is, the internal struggle for supremacy and control continues unabated.
Usurpation of NPL in a foreign deal:  On the 20th October, Aminu Maigari and the Chairman of the Technical Committee, Chris Green, travelled to London to broker a deal with IMG Limited in the UK on behalf of the Nigeria Premier League, (NPL). One of them has denied this though but our source insist they are not telling the truth.

As close as their lackey, Victor Baribote is to them, the duo went on the trip without the knowledge of the League Board.
However, the two top shots lied officially that they were going to get a new jersey for Super Eagles against the African Nations cup in South Africa. Neither does any other board member of the illegal NFF know of the true intent of the London trip.

Former scribe of the NPL, Salihu Abubakar, was working out modalities for Victor Baribote to go and reactivate the deal the NPL had signed with the English Premier League when Chief Oyuiki Obaseki was the chairman. The paucity of fund was said to have held the move back.

By FIFA prescriptions, all league boards are supposed to be semi-autonomus of the NFF. There was no way the NFF could have entered into any deal on behalf of any of the leagues.

Genesis of the crisis: The recent crises started when the Football Federation released a statement accusing the NPL of misappropriation of funds following an audit report. The federation queried the Nigeria Premier League management and ordered the suspension of the League's Congress which was slated to hold in Kano.

The Congress was meant to, among other decisions, finalise on a date for the commencement of the new Premier League season.

Jinxed?

Plan to sack the NPL board: There were two theories here. One the Minister, Bolaji Abdullahi was touted planned to sack the Board and bring his political mentor, Dr. Bukola Saraki in as Chairman. This could not be verified.

The second is, some members in the leadership of the federation want to stop the league from moving forward, they do not want the calendar to be in accordance with the rest of the world so that Nigerians can call for the dissolution of the NPL board."

Another board member pointed an accusing finger at Mr. Green as being behind the crisis in the football body.

Christopher Green factor:  A board member who is so angry at the way things are organized in the secretariat told a close friend of his, “Christopher Green is the problem of Nigerian football. He has taken over everything and he gives orders like he want in the secretariat. Most decisions he has made are not in accordance with the NFF statutes and other board members are not aware of so many things before it was done," he alleged.

Owumi...insulated the game in his fight

The Vice President, Mike Umeh, is not in the know of what goes on there. Most members are in the dark. No one knows what is going on there. He and Maigari took the decision to suspend the NPL Congress without the knowledge and approval of other board members.

"The board has not met on the issue of NPL Congress till date and as I'm talking to you the Board is divided," the official said.
A board member and Chairman of the Akwa-Ibom State Football Association, Effiong Johnson, also alluded to this in a statement he released against Barrister Iyke Igbokwe during the week.

The board will decide a new date for the AGM of the Nigeria Football Federation, (NFF) in their meeting of 28^th November.
A top official of the Federation informed www.gongnews.net of the meeting of tomorrow at 11a.m. They have informed us of the meeting” he said.