NFF Budgets $193m for Next Year
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on Tuesday night earmarked a total of N7 .5 billion for total expenditure of the federation in the coming year which amounts to $193,049,000.
This was part of the major decisions reached at the NFF’s Annual General Meeting which held in Benin, Edo State. Its Executive Committee also approved the 2018 Financial Statement and the proposed 2020 Budget.
In the new year, Nigeria will be involved in World Cup qualifying series from March as well as resume in August, the pursuit for a place at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations finals to be held in Cameroon.
The Committee noted the unimpressive outing of both the U17 and U20 national teams in global championships this year, as well as the non-qualification of the Super Falcons and the U23 men’s team for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
The federation resolved that henceforth, players, coaches and backroom staff of national teams would be tasked to work much harder in their different positions to bring honour to the country from any international match/ championship.
The federation’s board was particularly unhappy about the performances of the Super Falcons and the U23 boys despite the active and tremendous support and encouragement from the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports.
As a follow up to the harsh remarks by the Sports Minister, Sunday Dare, on the poor state of the country’s football at the opening session of the AGM, the Glass House has mandated the NFF boss, Amaju Pinnick, to meet with the Minister with a view to charting a new road map for growth.
Meanwhile, the NFF has announced the withdrawal of Nigerian teams from future beach soccer tournaments as a result of the poor performance of the Super Sand Eagles at the last FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in Paraguay.
Super Sand Eagles lost all their group matches and conceded a whopping 28 goals at the tournament in the South American nation.
They lost 10-1 to Portugal as well as 5-6 and 12-2 to Oman and Brazil respectively.
“Nigeria will only return after a ‘certain benchmarks, most importantly the creation and sustenance of a beach soccer league in the country, are met,” the Head of Public Relations NFF, Ademola Olajire stressed in a statement last night.
He said further that a five-man committee headed by the Chairman of the Organising Committee of the federation, Seyi Akinwunmi and including Mallam Shehu Dikko, Alh. Ahmed Yusuf ‘Fresh’, Chief Felix Anyansi-Agwu and Dr. Mohammed Sanusi has been put in place to determine the modalities and guidelines, and to encourage states wishing to launch full-steam beach soccer leagues and compete among themselves or internationally.