Sports

FIFA’s Hammer Dangles Over Nigeria

Published

7 years ago

August 18, 2018

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

While Ghana has accepted FIFA’s directive to stop the winding up of its Football Association as directed, Nigeria is yet to show sign of coming to terms with directives in order to avoid the hammer of suspension hanging over its head, even as the Sports Minister, Solomon Dalung insists the country must follow the dictates of its law.

FIFA had threatened to ban Ghana and Nigeria from international football unless both governments stopped interfering in the administration of the game in their countries.

FIFA announced it had agreed to work with Ghana “to offer leadership in reforming football administration in Ghana and in Africa,” and to also “to eradicate corruption and malfeasance and other associated criminal conduct from the administration of football in Ghana.” This is as Ghana agreed to FIFA’s dictates.

But Nigeria, which received the same measure of threat following what appears a government sponsored bid to remove the NFF President, Amaju Pinnick, from office, is not bulging even as the August 20 deadline draws dangerously close.

In spite of Acting President Yemi Osinbajo’s efforts when he met Pinnick and Sports Minister, Solomon Dalung, the crisis still lingers.

Reports said Osinbajo directed Dalung to avoid anything that would incur FIFA’s wrath on Nigeria, but the minister has come out to say the acting president never gave such orders. Dalung denied reports that Osinbajo has ‘stamped’ the Pinnick- led NFF board.

Making a case against FIFA, counsel to Chris Giwa, Ardzard Habilla, said FIFA cannot ban Nigeria, saying that the laws of Nigeria must supersede FIFA’s decision

NAN reports that the Giwa board went to court following Amaju Pinnick’s emergence as president in an election conducted on September 30, 2014 in Warri.

The election prevented Giwa, who won an earlier NFF presidential election in Abuja on August 26, 2014, from assuming office.

The Supreme Court in April set aside a 2016 judgment of the Appeal court on the leadership tussle and sent the matter back to a Federal High Court sitting in Jos, which had earlier mandated Giwa to take over as president.

Minister of Sports, whose body language suggests he is rooting for the Giwa faction has said that at no time did Osinbajo approved Pinnick.

“It is a planted story and a fake news. There was no directive from the VP countering the court order. However, the issue is still being handled by the Committee of NFF Elders Stakeholders, therefore, we are hopeful that the parties in the crisis will be able to come to an amicable resolution of the issue. Nevertheless, the status quo remains.”

While football loving Nigerians await Monday August 20, 2018, the onus lies on the sports administrators to do the needful to avert the dangling hammer from falling.

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.