Nigeria and FIFA will come to an agreement long before Monday, because FIFA has seen that 9ja eyes are red and there is no backing; threat ko threat ni!
If an agreement is reached, it will be a good decision; otherwise, it would go down as Jonathans first gaffe. Methinks though, that Nigeria has put herself in a very good negotiating position.

madness shall never end, if it takes 2 years to restructure NFF obviously it will take 20 years to carry out electoral reforms. Come to think of it it has taken them almost 4 years to do nothing about the electoral reforms. I don't think wewant to toe thisline with our football .Who is Rotimi amaechi by the way to write a report for NFF to be disbanded. Does the govt have to publicize itself so negatively about issues such as this.Remind them that Germany hosted 2006 world cup because the swiss repdid not get to the venue to vote for south africa else we wouldnot be talking south africa 2010. enough is enough of this blatant misplacement of priorities we are not fooledabout this mad politics going on.

my people please help me with this message.
YOU BLOODY KAITASROPHIC KUNGFU KICKING LOO LOO,
STICKING AYEGBENI,
CHICKEN HEARTED LAGERBACKLESS AND
WINGLESS EAGLE.
banned them.

A man who can pursue Ibori to Dubai can not set the EFCC on Sani Lulu and his band of thieves at the NFF, who are right under his nose in Nigeria

Get real, this is one big diversion tactic and he has used a sledge hammer to crack groundnuts. Halliburton, please.

12large:

which glo premier league worked for ghana, nigeria league is even better than ghana league but we always end up with useless coaches and fans, people that still wants a useless plaer like kanu to play forever just because of olympics 14years ago

Surely,Kanu will live longer than you son of a dirty LovePeddler.

If Nigerians are honest you have all contributed to this failure, see Nigeria Premier league our players are playing in virtually empty stadia.

I remember when Ogbe Stadium used to be full to capacity to watch local heroes Bright Omokaro, Friday Elaho, Henry Nwosu etc.

Today una dey beer parlour dey broke bottle for one another head because Arsenal beat Chelsea.

12large - Abeg leave dat ting. Ghana dey support their local teams.

SapeleGuy:

If Nigerians are honest you have all contributed to this failure, see Nigeria Premier league our players are playing in virtually empty stadia.

I remember when Ogbe Stadium used to be full to capacity to watch local heroes Bright Omokaro, Friday Elaho, Henry Nwosu etc.

Today una dey beer parlour dey broke bottle for one another head because Arsenal beat Chelsea.

12large - Abeg leave dat ting. Ghana dey support their local teams.

This is something that really makes my heart bleed. There are even TV programmes that go on and on about foreign football! When I see such, it is like I should burst into the TV and konk somebodies head.

Beaf:

This is something that really makes my heart bleed. There are even TV programmes that go on and on about foreign football! When I see such, it is like I should burst into the TV and konk somebodies head.

This shows that Nigerians are indirectly the cause of the rot in the Nigerian football and league, since so much attention has been shifted from the NFF and our football, no one is really putting on eye on the running of the league and the body in general.

When the packaging was good and the players were there, I stood by the local teams
I am a staunch supporter of the Adebajo babes, the defunct Concord FC and Obanta babes (Later Vigilante Insurance Professionals)
I couldn't physically support Abiola babes then cos I was still a kid.

Julius Berger and now Gateway FC are my teams. Some of us still do but what's the use of going to the stadium and ill be the only one singing and clapping

Really, the nostalgia that goes with supporting our local clubs is dieing, I really wish somethn can be done

I feel whoever is gonna manage our football must have learnt somethn frm this World Cup
Never underestimate the power of the young guns
One would have expected the football house to graduate the Siasia olympic team to the super eagles and also some of the U20 boiz. The Ghanaians and The Germans are basically U20 and the way they have played in this competition has shown, football isn't about names
Messi, Di Maria, Tevez, Rooney, Ronaldo and some stars didn't do jack in this WC as expected. The unknowns like Muller, Ozil are the ones taking the ovation

Our President shd reverse the blanket ban and force the football house to resign and subsequently install the newly constituted committe to run our football
So many households and families will have their dreams dashed if we allow FIFA to ban us

So many families are praying that the falconets do well in the upcoming tourney, the U20 boiz will have their dreams dashed

What kinda country dash the hopes of its citizenry instead of helping them actualise their dreams?

Maybe Jonathan wants the Military to truncate his own dream of winning the upcoming election

Nuff said, the impendinf ban will affect our football negatively.
I forsee some of our youngsters male and female droppin our national colors to take up other nationalities like Togo and Benin
They don't have to sacrifice their career to help 9ja football

NTA has no excuse on God's green earth to beam EPL games live! The Nigerian League was not any more organised in the 80's and 90's than it is today. I think it is even more professional now and this is evident with the class our clubs show on the continent in recent times.

The stadiums are drying up because of the availability of cheap foreign football (Viewing centres and NTA). Jonathan doesn't need to ban viewing centres and NTA or DSTV, the NFF just needs to work harder than they did in the 80's to bring the fans back. Everyone in FESTAC would want to watch Julius Berger play if they know two or three neighbourhood kids in the squad.

We should not deceive ourselves and think we can retain stars or buy 'local' stars to keep the fans in. The fans have Idols on TV their contemporaries in the 80's didn't have. So one of our trump cards would be to insist local clubs hire boys from around their area to generate local interest. This interest can be worked upon to generate fan clubs which would bring in investors and possibly make the league slightly better than what it is today.

Of course, the sham league timetable has to stop!

Good news! Nff board sacks lulu and other two members! Hope all of them will resign en masse.

Our league must to grow, NTA MUST BE STOPPED BY THE PRESIDENT FROM SHOWING ANY FOREIGN LEAGUE.

honeric01:

Our league must to grow, NTA MUST BE STOPPED BY THE PRESIDENT FROM SHOWING ANY FOREIGN LEAGUE.

i see

what model is that o and tell u where it was implemented b4

so the egyptians dont show foreign leagues?

how do we think and talk like this on this forum?

Nigeria na socialist state where the President minds all bizniz? so whats Jonathans own in NTAs wahala?
he shd kukuma become the DG of NTA then

if NTA no show, the private coys no go show? were you in this country when Dudu orumen and other NTA channels show us football?
years back b4 the sudden crase for premiership and the likes?

the support for epl and other european leagues has just turned a fad like owing a BB, nothin can be done to stop it

Thats who Nigerians are

Ben-10:

Ban Has been lifted! Case closed!

I thought people said the ban on international football was the best thing for our football

why did he change his mind?

The guy dey get brain touch?

hisssssssssssss

we for suffer so tey

now let the falcons go and do their thing and let EFCC run after Lulu and co

I knew the ban was not gonna last. I think jonathan took a cue from yaradua when he said nigera will not host under 17 tournament only for there rogues to make a quick turnaround by reducing the budget. I think people like Okocha and siasia should come in now cos the coast is clear.

Now that they have changed their mind, what are the next steps that can help football growth in Nigeria.
There is an ipinion piece in The Guardian on Sunday yesterday talking about returning power of administration of footballs to FANS. I think it makes sense.
I will get the link and post it.

[b]BACK PASS TO THE FANS[/b]By Nkanu Egbe
The Guardian on Sunday, 4 July 2010

FOOTBALL is to Nigeria what sin was to Sodom and Gomorrah: widespread. Football elicits fanaticism. Hence, the appropriate abbreviation of the word – fanatics – to the word – fans. Fans are usually extremely passionate. Imagine fans who would cheer ceaselessly when their favourite team is playing suddenly turning violent when this same team loses or fumbles. Some allow themselves to teeter on the brink of life and may even succumb to something as ominous as a heart attack if the outcome for their favourite team were not so favourable. Certainly not a funny state of affairs as revealed by Rivers State Governor and Chairman, Presidential Task Force on the Super Eagles’ participation at the 2010 World Cup, Rotimi Amaechi, when he led his team to Aso Rock recently to submit the group’s report on the Eagles’ lack-lustre campaign at the 2010 finals. “The nation has been punished enough,” said Amaechi. “People have had heart attacks, people have had all sorts of issues because of Nigerian football.”
Amaechi’s irritation obviously explains the action that would come next – from the President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan – the banning of all international soccer activity by Nigeria until 2012. A lot of people have said: What is he thinking? Others have said: What would FIFA be thinking? It reminds one of Koman Coulibaly’s decision to disallow the US goal against Slovenia on the excuse of an infringement. Apparently, there was no infringement but Coulibaly ruled so. The US fans had ruled it a harsh decision. Many Nigerian fans would rule Jonathan’s decision in similar fashion – harsh. But it would be rubbish to contest such a madcap action because that would just amount to endorsing government impetuosity.
It is the fanaticism of football that makes more meaning. Fan uproar is normally preceded by goal scorer celebration. Check out Rashidi Yekini’s prayer of thanksgiving after Nigeria’s first world cup goal against Bulgaria in the United States in 1994. Or Celestine Babayaro’s back flips after scoring against Brazil at Atlanta, USA in 1996. Or even Nwankwo Kanu’s masquerade dance after scoring the golden goal in the same match. Those were some of Nigeria’s fine moments in scorer celebration. Those are the celebrations fans pay good money to see.
Fans? Yes, fans! They are what football is all about. Without fans there is no football. And without football, there are no fans. This is how it works. When a football, sports club or any club, for that matter, (even a political party) is formed members are registered and dues are collected from them. The dues are used to run the club. In the case of a football club, sports kits like jerseys, shorts, boots and other accessories like shin pads and studs are bought. As fortunes grow, the club is able to buy property for training and eventually for competition. Where the club is not able to afford these things, they look for patrons and sponsors to help them out.
In some cases, individuals or groups go ahead and form clubs themselves and leverage on goodwill created by successful competition to have fan clubs which ensure that they have support any time matches are played. These fan clubs are organised according to membership and dues are collected as a result. The dues are used to administer the fan clubs – clubhouses are built, fan gear are procured and distributed and regular meetings are held.
When fans are part of the composition of the club, directly or indirectly, their passion for the club is limitless. This passion is usually infectious as the bandwagon effect normally leads to increased support. When the club is involved in away matches, the fan club organises to travel with the club. It is the singing and encouragement from the stands that gingers the players to fight to win. The more the outpouring of support, the more the players are encouraged to do battle.
When fan support is organised well, local matches draw large numbers. It is for this reason that Stationery Stores (popularly known as Adebajo Babes) would attract crowds of no fewer than 40,000 whenever they played in Lagos. Enugu Rangers (which became known as Rangers International) would on a normal day fill the old Railway Football field at Ogui Road (now known as Nnamdi Azikiwe stadium). Shooting Stars FC (previously WNDC then IICC Shooting Stars) still commands great crowds whenever they play at Ibadan – either at the Lekan Salami (formerly Liberty) or Adamasingba. Sadly, over the years, football has been taken away from the fans, first, by the military, then by successive civilian governments which have always made the mistake that they have all solutions to people’s issues including our fanaticism. They took over every clubside that featured in their domain either by outright owner takeover or by task force. Then because they became out of touch with their local clubsides, fans removed themselves from Nigerian football – thanks to the Premiership and superlative football from Europe and South America. Over the years, the Nigerian stands have emptied out. Football in Nigeria is no longer attractive to the average fan. Most club owners now only keep clubs which they mine for talents to be sent to the more lucrative leagues abroad.
Nigeria’s football fans do not really owe any allegiance to any club today except the few times the national team gets to play for Nations’ Cup or World Cup glory. When this is not happening, they shift focus to the more entertaining and successful leagues abroad. The average fan is either for premiership sides - Manchester United, Chelsea or Arsenal. Other football fans talk about Liverpool. Outside the premiership, fans talk about Italian Serie A clubs – Inter Milan or AC Milan. From Spanish La Liga – Barcelona and Real Madrid. Few talk about the Bundesliga with teams like Bayern Munchen or French Le Ligue with teams like PSG. Nobody talks about Kwara United, Enugu Rangers or Sharks of Port Harcourt any longer. When our Nigerian teams play, very few fill the stands. At best our Nigerian clubs are feeder teams to the Premiership, La Liga, Bundesliga or Le Ligue. Both Nigerian fan and player want to go the European leagues. All because football here no longer belongs to people; it belongs to government and government does not fill the stands.
The problem with its management lies in the marketability of the game. Very few understand the details in the running of a club. There is the major team. Some clubs can also have female teams. Then these major teams are fed by feeder teams. Some clubs have full functioning academies to ensure the younger players do not miss out on their education. These players are also taught coaching skills for post retirement. The cost of running these various components of a club is aggregated and creative ways are sought to offset recurrent and capital costs. Because most clubs are registered as friendly societies (football is a friendly game), the clubs do not have to pay taxes. Rather, these clubs pay dues to their local football associations which remit part of these dues to the state and subsequently the national associations.
The associations are made up of club owners or club representatives. The make-up of football administration though clearly stems from the foundation – the fans. Football administration ensures that the game is marketable. Considerations are made at club and football association levels. Questions are raised, such as: How many fans would be required to fill a stadium? How much would be charged for gate takings? Who bears the cost of advertising? What other promotional efforts would be required? Would there be broadcast feeds? How much would licencing cost? Who provides the feeds? At what costs? There are, of course, a lot more considerations like player transfer administration and fees. Without working the numbers, football, when well organised, is a great money spinner for club, football association and country.
That is why all this hoopla about Nigeria banning itself from international football is a distraction. The right thing, Mr. President Sir, is to start a process that returns football power to the fans.
* Egbe is a company executive in Lagos.

much ado about nothing,

just like that