Sports

NFF Controversy: Pinnick Returns to Court

Published

7 years ago

July 4, 2018

Eric

The FIFA recognised chairman of the Nigeria Football Federation, Amaju Pinnick, has asked a court to vacate its order that sacked him from office.

Following his requeest, the Jos Federal High Court on Wednesday fixed July 10 for hearing the motions filed by Mr Pinnick, challenging the exparte order it granted Chris Giwa, who has assumed office as president of the federation.

Mr Pinnick approached the court for the relief after the Nigerian government implemented the order of the high court.

Musa Kurya, the presiding judge in the case between Yahaya Adama and Aminu Maigari had, on June 5, made an exparte order asking Mr Pinnick’s NFF leadership to vacate the Glass House for the Giwa-led executive.

Based on the order, the sports minister, Solomon Dalung, said he had been advised by the justice ministry to ensure the NFF complies with the order.

But Mr Pinnick, through his counsel, Festus Keyamo, stormed the court on Wednesday with two motions demanding the vacation of the order granted Mr Giwa and others, pending the determination of an application challenging the jurisdiction of the court to hear the case.

Though the case was heard in the chamber, the two counsel in the matter spoke to journalists shortly after.

Festus Ukpe, who stood in for Mr Keyamo, explained: “We came to court to challenge the order which the court gave to Giwa led Exco.

“Our aim or intention was to move our two motions, but the counsel to Adama and Ogba, Mr Habila Ardzard, opposed it on the ground that they only got possession of the motions today (Wednesday).

“We told the judge that there was need for the court to hear these motions because of our fear of what Giwa will do in these few days that he claims he has power over Glass House.

“That is why we argued that there was the need for the judge to vacate his order since we were not given fair hearing in the matter, which we are not a party to but for our interest.’’

Mr Ukpe said that after both sides made their submissions, the judge ruled and fixed July 10 for the hearing of the motions because of the urgency.

Also, Mr Ardzard said he had to oppose Mr Pinnick from moving the motions “because by law, we are entitled to seven days within which we could study the motion and reply from the date of its receipt.

“We were only asked to come to court today and when we came we were told that there were two motions which Pinnick’s counsel intended to move today (Wednesday).

“Of course, we had to oppose it and the court finally ruled in our favour and therefore, fixed July 10 for the hearing of the motions’’.

Nonetheless, the order granted Mr Giwa subsists until Tuesday, July 10 when the motions would be heard on their merit.

Mr Keyamo has repeatedly argued that Nigeria risks a FIFA ban if the world body interprets the sports ministry’s action as interfering in football matters.

FIFA has repeatedly warned countries not to interfere in football matters.

Mr Giwa, however, says there is no chance of FIFA sanctioning Nigeria.

Premium Times

Sports

Anthony Joshua Defeats Jake Paul in Sixth-round Knockout

Published

2 days ago

December 20, 2025

Eric

Former heavyweight champion, Anthony Joshua, delivered a dominant performance on Saturday morning, stopping YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul with a sixth-round knockout in their heavyweight bout in Miami.

Although Paul exceeded expectations by lasting beyond the early rounds, Joshua’s superior power and experience proved decisive, according to The Athletic.

The British boxer dropped Paul twice during a chaotic fifth round, setting the stage for the finish.

Joshua sealed the victory in the sixth round, unleashing a sustained combination of heavy punches that left Paul unable to continue, prompting the referee to halt the contest.

Speaking after the fight, Joshua turned his attention to longtime rival Tyson Fury, challenging him to step into the ring.

“Put down (your) Twitter fingers and put on some gloves and come and fight me,” he said.

Paul, who later revealed he suffered a broken jaw in the bout, declined to name a future opponent.

Instead, the boxer said he would take a break from boxing following the loss, which marked the second defeat of his professional career.

Paul, who is ranked as the No. 14 cruiserweight with the WBA, has defeated back-to-back former boxing world champions.

He comfortably beat a 58-year-old Mike Tyson in November 2024 on Netflix’s boxing debut and most recently outpointed a 39-year-old Julio Cesar Chávez Jr. this past June.

Sports

FirstBank Elephant Girls Win in Zone 3, Qualify for WBLA Final Round

Published

2 weeks ago

December 8, 2025

Eric

FirstBank Basketball Club of Nigeria, popularly known as the “Elephant Girls”, have secured their spot in the final round of the Women’s Basketball League Africa (WBLA), scheduled to hold in Cairo, Egypt from 5-14 December 2025.

The Elephant Girls put up a commanding performance at the FIBA Africa Zone 3 Qualifiers in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, winning all three games. Representing Nigeria as the country’s sole team in the tournament, they overcame fierce competition from Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Benin Republic, Ghana, and Togo in the Zone. Their undefeated run included a 66–55 upset against home favourites CSA of Côte d’Ivoire and a thrilling 63–59 comeback win against FBA of Côte d’Ivoire, after trailing by 20 points in the second quarter.

The remarkable performance, marked by resilience, discipline skill, and mental strength, earned the team a triumphant return to continental basketball after a six-year absence. Emerging as champions of Zone 3 and the only English-speaking team to advance, the Elephant Girls have reaffirmed FirstBank’s long-standing commitment to promoting women’s sports in Nigeria and across Africa.

Speaking on the qualification, FirstBank’s Group Head, Human Capital Management and Development and Chairman of the Sports Council, Olumuyiwa Olulaja, said: “We are incredibly proud of the Elephant Girls for their outstanding performance. They have once again shown the world the strength, resilience, and excellence that define FirstBank.

“At FirstBank, we are committed to continuing our support for sports in Nigeria and Africa, and this victory is a significant step forward in our mission to promote excellence in sports on the continental and global stage,” he added.

The Elephant Girls had advanced to represent Nigeria at the WBLA Qualifiers for FIBA Africa Zone 3, following an impressive Silver Medal finish at the Zenith Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) Women’s Premier League.

With their place secured in Cairo, the Elephant Girls are poised to showcase their talent on the continental stage once again, carrying the pride of Nigeria and the FirstBank brand as they aim to make history in the Final Round of the Women’s Basketball League Africa.

Sports

Morocco’s Hakimi Wins Africa Football Player of the Year Award

Published

1 month ago

November 20, 2025

Eric

Morocco and PSG defender Achraf Hakimi has been crowned the Confederation of African Football Men’s Player of the Year Award for 2025, edging out finalists Mohamed Salah (Egypt/Liverpool) and Victor Osimhen (Nigeria/Galatasaray).

The announcement came on Wednesday during the glittering CAF Awards ceremony in Rabat, Morocco, where Hakimi, the Paris Saint-Germain right-back, was the only finalist in attendance, adding to the electric atmosphere.

This marks a historic breakthrough for Hakimi, after finishing as runner-up in both 2023 and 2024 (behind Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman, respectively), the 27-year-old has finally claimed Africa’s top individual football honour.

It’s also the first win for a Moroccan since Mustapha Hadji in 1998, and only the fourth for a defender in the award’s modern history.