₦airaland Forum

http://www.thenigerianvoice.com/nvnewsthread1/32148/1/


[size=16pt]Was Jega's Appointment as INEC Chairman A Mistake?
[/size]

Since the appointment of Professor Attahiru Jega as INEC Chairman, there has been a certain euphoria that at long last 'a Daniel has come to judgment'. The former Vice Chancellor of Bayero University Kano has variously been feted as 'a man of integrity', 'incorruptible' and 'an activist' who is unlikely to compromise his position. His recent demand for N74 billion for a new voters' register, in a manner of take-it-or-leave-it, is however rightly raising furores:     One, beyond the hype, there is a legitimate question of whether Jega is really suitable for the job. His claim to fame lies principally in his being an 'activist' and leading   the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) through a successful nationwide strike during the regime of Ibrahim Babangida. While no one will deny that Jega was successful as ASUU president and is deservedly respected as an honest man, there is however a whole world of difference between being an agitator and being an administrator. It is actually axiomatic that most 'social critics', 'activists' and labour leaders are poor administrators and rarely make good leaders.

For instance two of the most famous labour leaders of the last 50 years – Frederick Chiluba of Zambia and Lech Walesa of Poland - failed as president of their respective countries. Nearer home, while Balarabe Musa, a radical activist, was unable to deal pragmatically with an NPN-dominated House of Assembly as Governor of Kaduna State during the Second Republic and was subsequently impeached, Peter Obi, a relatively honest businessman, has been able to govern Anambra state with a State House of Assembly in which his APGA party has virtually no representation. In this sense, being an 'activist' could actually be an albatross in performing the job of INEC chairman because while 'activists' and 'social critics' tend to   be good with logic and in identifying the ills of a system, they are often less endowed with the acumen of how to fix the problems they are clever at identifying.  

 Two, though Jega was Vice Chancellor of Bayero University Kano when he was appointed INEC chairman, it is debatable whether his brief tenure in that position gave him sufficient administrative experience to run an agency as complex as INEC. There is often an unfortunate tendency in our country to appoint people with long academic qualifications but little administrative experience into management positions that they are practically unprepared for. It is for instance not uncommon to appoint a Professor who had never managed a N5 million budget in his life or knew what balance sheet means to head an agency whose budget runs into billions of Naira. Often forgotten is that being a Professor or a PhD is a very theoretical enterprise that has very little bearing to cognate experience even in one's field of specialisation. I would have preferred that the euphoria that surrounded the appointment of Jega was based on his achievements as the chairman or director of an organisation similar in complexity or in its budget as INEC.



Three,   the issues surrounding Professor Jega's demand for N74 billion raise a vital question of whether   we would perhaps have been better off appointing as INEC chairman someone who had cognate experience in a senior position at INEC.   One of our banes as a country is the lack of policy continuity. We have been told that since 2008 Iwu's INEC maintained a policy of 'continuous voter registration', which was reportedly in place in all the headquarters of the local governments in Nigeria .   We were also told that just before Iwu was sent on disengagement leave that INEC had concluded plans to detail their staff to various markets to register voters and help in voter education. Additionally, we are aware that Iwu's INEC had held regular seminars, retreats and consultations with civil societies and had also set up elaborate staff training and development programme, including the establishment of the Electoral Institute in 2005.


 The impression one got from Jega's demand was that nothing was available on the ground - with Iwu's voter register said to have only ten percent reliability. Even if we discount for Iwu's tendency to sound very re-assuring only to disappoint big time and his inappropriate emotional intelligence in the face of criticisms, one gets the impression that INEC under him invested well in staff training and development. Would someone with relevant experience of working in INEC have found a way of continuing from where Iwu stopped at less cost? It is germane to note that before   he   was sent on retirement leave, Iwu had even rolled out a time table for the conduct of the elections in January 2011, with rumours that he was asking for N5 billion to 'clean up the voters' register'. True, Iwu might have had an ulterior motive with that move, but it is baffling at the innuendo suggesting that all the money ploughed into INEC under its previous bosses had been wasted. This tends to be a typical 'academic outsider's' reflex.

 Five, there are concerns that Jega may be buckling under the pressure of high expectations, and therefore looking for alibi in the self knowledge that he is unlikely meet those   public expectations. This could be gleaned from the threats he had been unleashing on us recently: he asked for N74 billion Naira before August 11 or he would not guarantee free and fair elections; he had indirectly suggested postponing the elections because the recent amendments to the Electoral Act had put tremendous pressure on INEC; he also wants due process requirements in procurement to be by-passed for INEC to enable it meet the deadline. If all these are conceded, what stops Jega from waking up on the eve of the election   with a demand for N200 trillion Naira to re-equip the Nigerian police - or he cannot guarantee us free and fair elections?


Six, perhaps the burden of expectations on Professor Jega could be lightened if we begin an honest discussion of the benchmarks for assessing our own 'free and fair' election. For instance, in the US which has been a democracy for donkey years, there are still vociferous problems with voter registration and voting irregularities. In the last presidential elections in the USA for instance, ACCORN, a community organizing group thought to be sympathetic to Obama, was accused by the Republican National Committee of generating phoney voter registration cards in at least eight states.   In the UK , which is one of the oldest democracies in the world, many people who turned out to vote at the last election could not do so because of long queues or unavailability of voting materials. However, despite these shortcomings, the elections in these countries are usually regarded as 'free and fair'. What will be the benchmarks for our own 'free and fair' elections?   Seven, there is an inherent danger in acceding to all of Jega's requests under an implied notion of emergency because virtually all other sectors of our political economy are equally under   such emergency – from healthcare, electricity and roads to transport.   I am not necessarily arguing that Jega's request should not be attended to, but using a sort of blackmail to preclude debates and discussions on these could legitimately trigger agitations from other agencies and sectors of the economy, on how much they must be given before they can do their job.     It is part of the Nigerian condition that our yesterday has a way of being better than our today. Otherwise who will ever think that in less than two months of being INEC Chairman, Jega seems to be already making Maurice Iwu to look good?

12large:
yea is not just about his goals for eagles, but his performance most of his goals for nigeria are either tap in or penalties after he has had a poor game

Yak has scored only 5 Goals via PK for Super Eagles.

12large:
yakubu is and has always been a rubbish striker for nigeria, but in the premier league if he plays the whole season his a guaranteed 15/20 goals a season so for that reason his worth at least 8million

Years Team Apps (Gls) Goal Ratio

1999–2003 Maccabi Haifa 50 (24) 0.48
1999–2000 → Hapoel Kfar Saba (loan) 23 (6) 0.26
2003 → Portsmouth (loan) 14 (7) 0.50
2003–2005 Portsmouth 66 (29) 0.44
2005–2007 Middlesbrough 73 (25) 0.34
2007– Everton 68 (24) 0.35

2000– Nigeria 57 (21) 0.37

Yakubu has a better goal ratio for Nigeria than Everton & Middlesbrough and he is the 3rd highest all-time Super Eagles Top Scorer

http://www.supereaglesnation.com/index_002.htm

deb:
Segun Odegbami is the first Nigerian on earth that I know who started clamouring for lush and green field of play for our local leagues so that the players can perform at their best and that was a long time in the very early 90s something that Obaseki just decided to implement in the league say from 2years ago yet all our local league stadia still don't have green grasses nor artificial turf.

Syenite:
Taye Taiwo ---U-20, 2005;U-23, 2008
Elderson Echiejile-----U-20, 2007;U-23, 2008
Onyekachi Apam----U-20, 2005; U-23, 2008
Mikel Obi----U-17, 2003, U-20, 2005; U-23,2008(though he opted out)
Sani Keita---U-20,2005; U-23,2008
Dele Adeleye----U-20, 2005; U-23,2008
Chinedu Ogbuike Obasi----U-17,2003; U-20,2005, U-23,2008
Victor Obinna Nsofor----U-20,2005; U-23,2008
Lukman Haruna----U-17, 2007;U-20,2009
Brown Ideye-----U-20,2007
Adefemi Olubayo----U-20,2005;U-23,2008
Victor Anichebe----U-23,2008

Looking at this list you'll be amazed to know that over 80% of our team graduted from youth teams within the last few years which puts them U-25.This shows our youth system is producing players for the senior team.

But on a second look you'll discover that most of this lads are not exceptional at club level.

For instance at that age:-

Emmanuel Amuneke was in Barcelona
Sunday Oliseh was in Juventus
Taribo West was in Inter-Milan
Daniel Amokachi was in Everton
Nwankwo Kanu just left Ajax for Inter-Milan
Celestine Babayaro was in Chelsea
JJ Okocha was doping exploit at Frankfort
George Finidi was in Ajax
Tijani Babangida was in Ajax

Our current crop of Eagles are not super stars, they are just average.
However with a good FA, good planning and agood technical adviser an average team can still perform well, Uruguay for instance.

Taye Taiwo is in Marseille
Mikel Obi is in Chelsea
Chinedu Obasi is in Hoffenheim
Obinna Nsofor is in Inter Milan
Obiora Nwankwo is in Inter Milan
Joel Obi is in Inter Milan
Lukman Haruna is in Monaco
Victor Anichebe is in Everton

coppershun:
It was reported that Multichoice made so much from the just concluded World Cup in South African that she was able to pay ($40 million) requested by EPL for a 3 year period what she could not pay last year. What is my point? Foot ball is big business so hosting football event is also big business, Nigeria have hosted 3-4 continental/global foot ball event in the last 11 years starting from Nigeria 1999 how has those event change the face of sport or local companies, has the sport authorities ever told us the profit they made from these event and how that was plunge back into the economy? South Africa has shown us. DSTv shows that Nigeria Premiere League (NPL) at least so they tell us, if DSTv will pay $40 million to air the EPL for 3 years, they should at least pay $2million annually to air the NPL, if this has been the ongoing arrangement we need to know why the development of the league is so slow which is what DSTv who even air the South African league to Nigeria more frequently that they air the NPL promised Nigerians.


I also agree with all those innovative Nigerians who believe that HiTv failed to live up to the bidding, it is true that a lot still needed to be done in terms of quality and packaging but all these come with time a year is to quick to judge a company operating in an erratic environment as ours. Let me illustrate why I think the Government and the Banks should be interested in the HiTv investment: We assume the number of subscriptions to DSTv is 3 million and assume an average subscription charge of N4000/month. DSTv there fore reaps a whooping N12 Billion in a month and by implication N144 Billion annually which equates to $1 Billion annually. Why should these funds not be controlled by an indigenous company who will plunge it back into the Economy? How many registered company ion Nigeria or even the world makes generate an annual income of $1 billion in a year? I rest my case.

A crappy article without any facts.

oyb:
I heard on the radio this morning - exactly what crime is efcc reporting ? they did not find money in lulu's account, they found it in nffs account. is the account supposed to be empty?

these fricking publicity hounds - eejits

i really cannot make any sense of their pronouncement

NFF money found in NFF account but u get some funny comments on this topic!

PapaBrowne:
First, the bid in question took place just a few months ago. The one of two years ago has expired. This is a fresh bid with the rights starting in August.Sanusi comes into the equation because he criminalised risk taking. Sanusi's nonsensical risk management rules made it impossible for GT to raise bank guarantees b4 the deadline.

As per DSTV, raising $100 million just to protect one market in over 30 in which they operate in is by any standard a big deal. It doesn't matter that they are owned by Napzers. If they had that kind of money to dole on Nigeria before the world cup, they would have upped their bid. But they bid far less and HiTV beat them to it.
Truth is, the $100 million doesn't quite make business sense. Because in the 3 seasons the rights last, they wouldn't collect subscriptions worth N15 billion.

Getting subscriptions to pay for that huge outlay is possible although difficult. With roughly 180,000 EPL subscribers In Nigeria paying US$60/month for a net period of 27 months will generate nearly US$ 292 Million and there will also be income form advertising and hotels/viewing centers.

[quote author=mama-gee link=topic=484167.msg6445252#msg6445252 date=1280005754][color=deeppink]We all must agree that soyinka is a genius. . .

I mean everyone must attest to it, his intelligence is out of this world.[/color][/quote]Agreed, he is a genius in Literature but a mediocre in Politics.

A new party that will struggle to win just 1 Councilorship seat.

Soyinka is just a naive politician.

PapaBrowne:
Sad thing is that just 4 years ago, DSTV was paying $4 million for the same rights. You would think they should be glad to have HiTV as a new friend. But no, the backstabbers that the British have always been known to be, would rather have the White South Africans dominate the landscape.

DSTV was not paying for a market that had not yet been created.

4 Years ago there was no Nigeria market for EPL rights. The market then was Sub-Saharan Africa (which Nigeria was a part of) market. The entry of HiTV and BON into EPL rebroadcasts forced the EPL to create a Nigeria market and hence more money to the English.

Let us develop our own league with good facilities and create more employment opportunities for our folks.

Dis Guy:
apparently some dude and woman in the rebranding camp didn't really look their way because they couldn't spend money on Nigerian League or any other Nigerian sport so breaking the bank for foreign footie is an affront

They already had a bank/investor, perhaps they were getting cold feet after looking at the first year result, you know Nigerian banks want you to start making profit to pay them after just one month!!

Let HiTV get real and stop promoting foreign football leagues to the detriment of our own. If DSTV takes EPL , so what? let them repackage NPL and get the rights away from DSTV now that there is a new league board and some of the contracts need to be renewed.

[quote author=@URSERVICE link=topic=479916.msg6430720#msg6430720 date=1279798786]@folem please expantiate!!!what does it mean[/quote]It means DSTV will be showing EPL matches instead of HiTV.

Rumours have it that HiTV are in a financial mess.

Supersport claims to have acquired the rights to show the EPL on its Nigeria packages, so what now happens to HiTV?

http://www.supersport.com/football/nigeria/news/100722/SuperSport_acquires_EPL_rights_for_Nigeria

http://thenationonlineng.net/web2/articles/25921/1/Nigerias-HiTV-wins-Barclays-Premier-League-exclusive-rights/Page1.html

Supersport claims to have acquired the rights to show the EPL on its Nigeria packages, so what now happens to HiTV?

http://www.supersport.com/football/nigeria/news/100722/SuperSport_acquires_EPL_rights_for_Nigeria

http://thenationonlineng.net/web2/articles/25921/1/Nigerias-HiTV-wins-Barclays-Premier-League-exclusive-rights/Page1.html

Very stupid.

Nigeria was 27^th out of 32 Top Nations in a competition where 204 out of FIFA's 208 associations were involved. The fact that we got the same position @ the last World cup we attended in 2002 with the same level of preparations makes it even more ludicrous.

If only our Police, Customs, Roads, Airports, Hospitals, PHCN, NNPC were that competitive @ global level then one will see the point of his actions.

Howard Webb To Referee Final.

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=6&click_id=2871&art_id=nw20100709151745198C858713


[size=16pt]He can't ref his own kids - Webb's wife [/size]


London - The wife of World Cup final referee Howard Webb said on Friday she was amazed her husband was taking charge of the most important game in football given how he struggles to keep control of their children.

Webb, who is now a full-time referee having previously been a police sergeant, will be the man in the middle when the Netherlands face Spain in the World Cup final in Johannesburg on Sunday.

The 38-year-old from Rotherham, northern England, will be the first Englishman to take charge of the showpiece match since Jack Taylor refereed the 1974 World Cup final between West Germany and the Netherlands.

Kay Webb, in an interview with Britain's GMTV television programme, said her husband's refereeing career was a source of mystification given his difficulties controlling son Jack and daughters Holly and Lucy.

"I don't know how he does it," Mrs Webb said.

"He can't take charge of his own children. I don't know how he manages it on a football pitch."

Webb began refereeing as a teenager, having been encouraged by his father Billy who was himself a referee.

"It's in my blood," Billy Webb, a former miner, told GMTV.

"I encouraged my son to take it up.

"But when I watched his first game, I encouraged him to pack up.

"My brother was with me at the time, he was a referee, and he said 'I can see something in this young lad.' History has proven him right and me wrong.

"The whole thing is jaw-dropping. I just can't imagine my son reffing the World Cup final."

Webb will complete a notable double this weekend as he becomes the first referee to have overseen both the Champions League or European Cup final and the World Cup final in the same year.

Taylor, now 70 years of age, said he had no worries about Webb's ability to handle the pressure and if it came to it to award a penalty -Taylor became the first referee to do so in a final in 1974 and ended up awarding two, one to the Dutch to the shock of the German home crowd and then one to Germany.

"It wouldn't get to him (Webb) at all," Taylor told The Times.

"You don't get many penalties in World Cup finals - I awarded the first two - but he would call it as he sees it.

"I've been watching his progress carefully over the past two years and he's an astonishing referee.

"It's wonderful that he's been awarded the World Cup final. He thoroughly deserves it!

"He gets on well with the players most of the time, he's extremely fit and he looks the part."

Sunday's match will see Webb working alongside his regular assistants or linesmen, who are also both from England.

Premier League referees' chief Mike Riley said: "It's not only recognition for their excellent tournament in South Africa so far, but also the progress they have made internationally over the last four years.

"Their appointment is fantastic recognition for English refereeing and should act as an inspiration for all young referees wanting to enter into the game. It just shows what you can achieve if you work hard." - AFP

http://www.goal.com/en/news/1863/world-cup-2010/2010/07/06/2012309/top-10-infamous-world-cup-handballs-of-all-time



[size=16pt]Top 10 Infamous World Cup Handballs Of All Time[/size]

Following Luis Suarez's handball against Ghana, Goal.com runs down 10 of the most infamous World Cup handballs in history,



10) Luis Fabiano (Brazil) v Ivory Coast – 2010

The Sevilla hitman handled the ball not once, but twice, in the build up to his and Brazil’s second goal in the 3-1 group victory over Ivory Coast. The referee even asked Fabiano if he handled the ball as they jogged back to the halfway line, but unsurprisingly the Milan target shook his head.

9) Diego Maradona (Argentina) v USSR – 1990

Swedish official Erik Frederiksson is probably the most hated referee of all time in Russian parts. Back in the 1986 World Cup he had permitted two blatantly offside goals to Belgium during their classic 4-3 second round win over the Soviets. Four years later, he again cost the USSR qualification – this time in the group. Both Argentina and the USSR had lost their opening games, and with the score at 0-0 Maradona escaped after he clearly pulled the ball back from the line with his hand to deny the USSR taking the lead. Argentina went on to win 2-0 and reach the final, while Valeriy Lobanovskyi’s men were eliminated at the first hurdle.

8] Mario Kempes (Argentina) v Poland – 1978

In their first game of Round 2 Group B, hosts Argentina took on Poland in Rosario. Luis Cesar Menotti’s men led through a first half Mario Kempes header but Poland thought they had equalised when Grzegorz Lato headed towards goal. Kempes was defending on his own line and dived across to punch the ball away, conceding a penalty in the process. Incredibly, Kazimierz Deyna missed the resulting spotkick and Kempes later doubled Argentina’s lead. The striker would score twice again in the final as the South Americans won the cup.

7) Torsten Frings (Germany) v United States – 2002

Michael Ballack headed Germany ahead against the run of play just before half time in this quarter final after the USA had dominated the first half. The States poured forward looking for an equaliser and Gregg Berhalter stretched out a leg at the far post to steer a corner home, only to then see Torsten Frings handle the ball off the line and into goalkeeper Oliver Kahn’s arms. A melee ensued, but nothing was given by the referee and eventual finalists Germany held on for an infamous 1-0 win in the most infamous of World Cups.

6) Joe Jordan (Scotland) v Wales – 1977

A do-or-die World Cup qualifier between British rivals Wales and Scotland at Anfield. A win for the former would all but see them qualify for Argentina ’78. In a pulsating match, the scores were still level in the 78th minute when Scotland striker Joe Jordan – under pressure from defending Wales stopper David Jones – blatantly punched the ball in the area. Unbelievably, the referee thought Jones had handled and awarded a Scottish penalty. Don Masson scored, Kenny Dalglish added a second in the closing stages, and it was Scotland who went to the World Cup.

5) Luis Suarez (Uruguay) v Ghana – 2010

The World Cup quarter-final between Uruguay and Ghana had already been rollicking entertainment as it headed towards a penalty shootout at 1-1, when Luis Suarez entered international infamy with a deliberate handball on the line in the 120th minute to claw away a certain goal.

Referee Olegario Benquerenca from Portugal duly pointed to the penalty spot, and red-carded Suarez for the offence. The Uruguayan striker departed from the field in tears, fearing that he had cost his side a place in the World Cup semi-finals. Little could he have known that he had saved them - literally.


Asamoah Gyan skied his penalty off the top of the crossbar, and set up a dramatic shootout victory for the South Americans which extinguished Africa's last hope in the first World Cup to be staged on the continent.

4) Karl Heinz Schnellinger (West Germany) v Uruguay - 1966

The South Americans were thumped 4-0 by the eventual finalists, but study this game a little closer and you will see a match filled with huge controversy. Uruguay had dominated the early part of the game and would have taken the lead but for a flying save from Germany defender Karl Heinz Schnellinger, who literally clawed the ball out of the top corner with his hands. Incredibly, English referee Jim Finney, waved play on.

The Germans went ahead through Helmut Haller and the game was delicately poised before Finney controversially sent off two Uruguayans in the second half. West Germany scored three times late on for a flattering scoreline. After the match, there were mass conspiracy calls. Back in South America, it was pointed out that the referee in the Uruguay game was English, while the official in England’s equally controversial quarter final against Argentina was German. The events surrounding the refereeing draw for these two games added further suspicions.

The representatives of Argentina, Uruguay, Spain and the Soviet Union were invited to a London hotel for the draw. They arrived on time, but found out that the draw had already been made without them, with the only witnesses being FIFA's English president Stanley Rous, a German representative, and a couple of Africans.

3) Djalma Santos (Brazil) v Czechoslovakia - 1962

Very few people know about this handball, so hopefully this Top 10 will reveal to the world just how infamous it should have been. With Brazil leading 2-1 in the final with just over 20 minutes to go, Brazil's greatest right back of all time, Djalma Santos, deliberately handled the ball in his own area.

The referee waved play on, a decision that infuriated the Europeans who lost their heads - culminating in a third goal for Brazil. The game ended 3-1 to the Selecao, and this controversial incident has since been almost completely forgotten about.

Not anymore - had a penalty been given, we could now be talking about Czechoslovakia as one-time World Cup champions.

2) Thierry Henry (France) v Ireland – 2009

Ireland’s World Cup playoff against France was delicately balanced as the tie moved into extra time in Paris, with the score 1-1 on aggregate.

Then, France striker Thierry Henry clearly handled the ball in the run-up to William Gallas's decisive equaliser on the night, but it was not seen by the referee or his assistants.

The goal stood and the Irish went out, causing a furore after the game. The FAI later made a request to FIFA that the match be replayed, but FIFA turned them down. Henry was lambasted, and even unsuccessfully offered a replay himself after FIFA had made their decision. The FAI even asked to be admitted as the 33rd nation in South Africa. Unsurprisingly this was rejected too.

1) Diego Maradona (Argentina) v England – 1986

The most infamous goal in World Cup history occurred during the quarter final of the 1986 World Cup in Mexico between Argentina and England. With the score locked at 0-0 six minutes into the second half, Maradona chased a miss-hit clearance by England midfielder Steve Hodge, jumped above goalkeeper Peter Shilton before flicking it past the veteran with the outside of his left fist. The referee failed to spot the infringement and Argentina took a one-goal lead. Minutes later, Maradona would score the ‘Goal of the Century’ after dribbling past half of the England team – Argentina would win 2-1 and go on to lift the World Cup.


After the quarter final Maradona said that the goal had been scored “a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God,” also saying it was revenge for the Falklands War between England and Argentina four years earlier. The current Albiceleste boss became enemy No.1 on English shores following this incident and 24 years on he is still very much a hated figure.

[flash=450,350]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_izD7XjfYg.flv[/flash]

Check out 2:12

honeric01:
05 July
Wikki Tourists 3 - 0 Bayelsa United

That is what makes Nigeria League a joke.

After several abandoned matches replays were abandoned, the penultimate match of the season was abandoned with Bayelsa United leading 1-0 & instead of getting 3 points and a 3-0 result as specified in the rules, a replay was ordered by Yakmut & NPL 2 days to the end of the season.

I hope Bayelsa United gets a redress from NFF.

mens dept:
How many of these persons in NFF even know anything about Football/soccer? How many know what offsides means?

Taiwo Ogunjobi & Dominic Iorfah are ex Nigeria Internationals while Taiwo Odebunmi is an ex Player.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/aussies-robbed-at-cup/story-e6frf7jo-1225884714327?from=public_rss


[size=16pt]Aussies robbed at Cup[/size]


ARMED gunmen tied up and robbed Australian soccer fans at their hotel in South Africa on Thursday, with reports a woman was also sexually assaulted by the gang.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed the incident, which took place when the Australians returned to their Hazyview hotel about midnight after the match between the Socceroos and Serbia.

Hotel guest Steve Gaynor, who lost $10,000 worth of goods from his room while he was downstairs in a nearby bar, said four Nigerian men with rifles and handguns followed the Australians back to the hotel and attacked them in their rooms.

"I had watched the match from the hotel that night and about 12.30am three cars arrived back at the hotel and people started filing in," Mr Gaynor said.

"I was in the bar and some people came in there while others went back to their rooms.

"While we were sitting in the lodge bar we were oblivious to what was going on. These poor kids were tied up, held at gunpoint and robbed. My room was robbed, but luckily I wasn't in there when they broke through the window."

Mr Gaynor said one female Australian had been sexually assaulted in the attack.

The Australian Federal Police confirmed an off-duty member was one of the victims, who took control and tried to keep others calm, Mr Gaynor said.

"They took cash, jewellery and watches off the people they had tied up and stole phones and laptops," he said.

"I think they knew Aussies were in that hotel, they were targeting us.

"It was robbery with violence. One guy was on the floor and the man had his boot on his head and told him not to move or he is dead - it was serious.

"It's just horrible."

The gunmen fired shots as they fled by vehicle.

Mr Gaynor returned to Australia on Saturday after Australian consular staff provided him with an emergency passport.

snowdrops:
Any use of technology will defeat the fundamental principles of football which is continuity.

Fundamental Principle?

U got to be joking.

There are lots of stoppages in football from controversial sending offs, free kicks, penalty kicks, injuries to Goalkeepers e.t.c & the time taken on these can as well be used by a video umpire to adjudicate on contentious goal-line issues.

https://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/NBCSports/Components/Slideshows-NBC_sports/_production/twisp-100628/twisp-100628-03.ss_full.jpg

Did Onigbinde do well in Korea Japan 2002?

Yekini was the original Mr Miss it of Nigerian football although he also scored a lot of Goals.

Akosa67:
DSTV
You are just playing with the Nigerian viewers.
I am quite sure that the Nigerian market for you whatever is larger than what you have out there in SA but you treat us with some measure of Levity.

DSTV only has 400,000 subsribers in Nigeria. SA figures are over 2.5 Million

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/22/20100610/twl-uk-soccer-world-robbery-672dc0e.html


[size=18pt]Greek players robbed in South Africa [/size]


Three Greek World Cup players had money stolen from their hotel rooms and Chinese journalists were robbed at gunpoint, officials said on Thursday. Skip related content

Another 11 tourists were robbed of passports and luxury goods while visiting a wine farm near Cape Town, adding to several separate incidents against tourists less than 24 hours ahead of the opening match between host nation South Africa and Mexico.

The incidents in the crime-plagued host country follow the armed robbery of Spanish and Portuguese journalists at a lodge north of Johannesburg on Wednesday.

South Africa, which has spent heavily on security, has been hoping the World Cup would boost its tourism sector and provide a jolt of pride for the continent but experts say persistent reports of crime could undermine those aspirations.

Greek team spokesman Michael Tsapidis said the players were not upset by the theft at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Durban and they were "extremely satisfied" with the way the hotel had responded to the incident.

"In our opinion this is not such a big deal. This incident is something that could happen anywhere in the world," he told a news conference.

The three Chinese journalists has been in the country for a few hours and were on their way to the main venue for the Cup in Soccer City on the edge of Soweto, a sprawling township outside of Johannesburg, the local paper Beeld reported citing various sources.

They stopped on the side of the road when gunmen approached and stole equipment from their vehicle, it said.

Chinese embassy officials confirmed the robbery but offered few details. South Africa police said the incident has not been officially reported and were looking into the case.

Petty theft is a fact of life in South Africa, a country of that averages 50 murders a day.

TOURISTS ROBBED AT WINE FARM

Police said a group of tourists from Canada, Denmark, Finland, Sweden and Tanzania returned to their bus at a visit to a wine estate outside Cape Town to find nine passports, two digital cameras, a laptop and $500 cash missing. A case of theft had been opened, a statement said.

FIFA said on Thursday three arrests had been made for the armed robbery of Spanish and Portuguese journalists at a lodge in Magaliesburg, a sleepy, scenic town about an hour north of Johannesburg, and all the stolen property had been recovered.

The thieves made off with cameras, computers, credit cards and cash. The FIFA spokesman played down the incident, saying the soccer body's main concern was traffic chaos.

Police bolstered their presence in the Magaliesburg, where the Portugal squad base and police chief Bheki Cele visited the area on Thursday to express regret over the matter, a statement said.

"General Cele assured the group that all plans for a safe World Cup were still on track and he was confident that South Africans and fans alike will have a fantastic time over the next month," the statement said.

But travelling journalists including one held at gunpoint were angry at FIFA for not showing greater concern for their safety.

"It's just ridiculous, a total lack of respect for people who have come here to work, to show this country to the whole world," said photographer Antonio Simoes.

The raided hotel now has several police officers patrolling the grounds around the clock and almost all the other hotels have police or private security protecting journalists.

"FIFA saying it was more concerned with traffic than someone being attacked in a hotel room with a gun to their head does not dignify the institution and the organisation in any way," Paulo Guerrinha, a reporter for the Portuguese internet portal Sapo, told Reuters. "A situation like this cannot be devalued like it has been," he said.

(Additional reporting by Xola Potelwa, Agnieska Flak in Johannesburg, Wendell Roelf in Cape Town and Nick Mulvenney in Durban)