₦airaland Forum

NFF: We are not owing Super Falcons

The Nigeria Football Federation has flatly denied owing players and officials of the senior women national team, Super Falcons any money, in the wake of reports earlier on Sunday that the Falcons were refusing to leave their hotel at the World Cup in France over pay dispute with the Federation. 


“We have paid the players and officials the entitlements due them for the tournament and other outstanding bonuses and allowances were settled before the team arrived at the World Cup finals,” Shehu Dikko, NFF 2nd Vice President, toldthenff.com. 

The Federation went further to clarify in detail as follows:

The monies for the Super Falcons’ preparation and participation at the FIFA Women’s World Cup finals in France (and indeed the Super Eagles’ preparation and participation in the AFCON 2019in Egypt) were recently approved by His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari (GCFR). But the release of the funds is still being processing by the Federal Ministry of Finance and will be concluded soonest.

Inspite of the delay in release of funds, the NFF made huge sacrifices including borrowing to ensure it gave the Falcons the very best of preparation for the World Cup in France with about 15 test games, with camps/games held in China, Cyprus, Spain, CIV, and Austria (a fact that even the team duly appreciated and agreed it was the best-ever for any Nigerian team going to the Women’s World Cup and even wrote to thank the NFF).


The NFF is indeed encouraged by results achieved by the Super Falcons in France, being the first time the team qualified to the knockout rounds in the last 20 years with credible performance against some of the world’s best teams.

The NFF duly ensured it addressed all the issues raised by the team captain Desire Oparanozie via an email prior to the team resuming in camp in Austria and used it best efforts, to settle all the players’ claims and bonuses to so as to provide an enabling platform for the players to perform without any distractions in France for the World Cup.


To this end, payments made to the players at the pre-World Cup camp in Austria and France (World Cup proper) are set out below:

a) 2016 Women Africa Cup of Nations Qualifier: Nigeria Vs Senegal (Home Match) played in Abuja – Win bonus of N500,000 paid to each player. 

b) 2018 Women Africa Cup of Nations Qualifier: Nigeria Vs Gambia (Home Match) played in Lagos – Win bonus of N500,000 paid to each player. 


c) Camp and Friendly matches played in Spain – 7 days’ daily allowance of $700 paid to each player. 


c) WAFU Cup Tournament (staged in Cote d’Ivoire): Allowance of $500 paid to each player. 


d) Pre-World Cup camp in Austria: 14 days’ daily allowance $1,400 paid to each player. 


e) Refund made to players on visa procurement, train, bus and airport taxi from their different bases in Europe to the camp in Austria. 


f) $4,400 paid to each player, being win bonus for the World Cup match against Korea Republic ($3,000) and 14 days’ daily allowance for the World Cup ($1,400).


This was paid direct to each of the players’ domiciliary accounts by NFF fund managers, Financial Derivatives Company and by Friday most of the players had started receiving alerts depending on their banks.

Therefore, based on the foregoing facts, as at the time the Super Falcons set out to play Germany on Saturday 22nd June, the NFF had in spite of the challenges, ensured it met all its obligations to the players.

After the team’s exit from the tournament due to defeat by Germany, the only money the NFF has to pay the players is the extra 5 days’ daily allowance of $500 to each player for the days spent from the end of group stage to the day they played Germany in Grenoble. Daily allowance is usually paid only when the days are known, as we could have defeated Germany and thus stayed more days in the tournament. Accordingly, these payments will be resolved within the next business days upon return of the team to Nigeria.


After the loss to Germany, the players raised the issue of their share of the prize money expected from FIFA. For qualifying to the Round of 16, the NFF is entitled to receive $1million from FIFA (being $750k qualification bonus and $250k for exiting at Round of 16.) The NFF duly reconfirmed to the team that they would be entitled to get 30% share of the fund from FIFA just like the men’s teams get (Super Eagles for World Cup/AFCON and Eagles B for CHAN) and were informed that these funds would only be available to NFF post-World Cup. The issue of sharing formula with the team was as clarified and the matter was closed.

Amazingly, the players later came to inform the NFF officials with the team that they heard that Cameroon and England teams have already been paid their share of participation fees by their Federations, and thus demand NFF paid them.

They were informed that, if indeed Cameroon and England paid their players it was certainly not from FIFA money but other sources and there are 22 other countries that have not paid as well. The NFF further reminded the players that, during the AWCON 2018 in Ghana the NFF decided to double their match bonuses as a motivation for them to win the trophy and other countries didn’t use that as benchmark to demand the same from their Federations.The entire issue was conclusively resolved throughout the night and the team duly left their hotel by morning enroute to Nigeria or to different holiday destinations.

In truth, the NFF is very much bewildered as to why the Super Falcons chose to embark on this route. His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari took time out of his busy schedule on Saturday to call the team prior to the match against Germany to wish them luck and assure them of Government support at all times. It is our view that whatever issues they had, they should have respected the President as a person and Nigeria as an entity and resolve to have their issues, if any, settled back home.

helphelp:
Are bonuses paid immediately after the tourney in saner climes? Why must they always demand it in hotel rooms before leaving their host country?

ubcandid:
Was this written by a "journalist"? Very poor sentence construction. She should learn to put her comma even if tying on Twitter because I can see two messages being passed.

LZAA:
I don beg tire so lemme beg again
NL sports mods pls push current news to fp na
This news is 2 days old
We are tired of regina daniels and tonto dike news
Naptu2 and cadec007 pls

naptu2:
The Super Falcons’ woes began even before they played the final match at the 2016 AWCON. They had heard that the sports minister, Solomon Dalung and members of the NFF led by their president, Amaju Pinnick, would come and address the team, especially on issues concerning their camp allowances, winning bonuses and the coaches’ nine months salaries would be settled.

However, the sports minister, NFF president and their delegation flew into Yaounde in a chartered jet, stayed at the airport until it was almost time for the match, drove straight to the stadium to watch the match without seeing the Falcons and then drove back to the airport after the match and flew to Nigeria without seeing the players.

The VIPs flew into Yaounde in a chartered jet, but the players had to fly back to Nigeria via commercial flights. They had to fly from Yaounde to Douala in a plane that was too small to carry their luggage (their luggage was transported by road) and then fly from Douala to Abuja.

Protest

Their allowances and bonuses were still not paid when they returned to Abuja and they had to stage a sit in protest at their hotel.

Meanwhile, the Lionesses of Cameroon that were beaten by the Falcons were being hosted by President Biya at a state reception in which they were showered gifts, given medals and praised as heros of Cameroon.
[img]http://naijachronicles.files./2018/11/reception_lionnes_full_08_12_2016.jpg?w=584[/img]
Gaelle Enganamouit and other lionesses being hosted to a reception by President Biya of Cameroon after coming second at the 2016 AWCON.

The Falcons protested at their hotel until they were evicted, then they carried their protest to the streets. They staged a protest march to the National Assembly and they also marched to the Aso Rock Villa where they were received by the chief of staff to the president. The COS promised that President Buhari would intervene in their situation.

[img]http://naijachronicles.files./2018/11/92966305_2b5fe69e-ddb7-4461-9aff-017599350c1b.jpg?w=584[/img]
Ngozi Okobi, Rita Chikwelu and other Falcons protesting on the streets of Abuja.

[img]http://naijachronicles.files./2018/11/falcons-protest-1-1.png?w=584[/img]
[img]http://naijachronicles.files./2018/11/falcons-4.jpg?w=584[/img]
[img]http://naijachronicles.files./2018/11/falcons8.jpg?w=584[/img]
[img]http://naijachronicles.files./2018/11/falcons-protest.jpg?w=584[/img]

The Falcons protesting outside the National Assembly
[img]http://naijachronicles.files./2018/11/falcons-protest1.jpg?w=584[/img]

[img]http://naijachronicles.files./2018/11/super-falcons.jpg?w=584[/img]

The Falcons with Abba Kyari (chief of staff to the president) outside the Aso Rock precinct)
[img]http://naijachronicles.files./2018/11/pay-falcons-bbc.jpg?w=584[/img]
[img]http://naijachronicles.files./2018/11/super-falcons2.jpg?w=584[/img]
[img]http://naijachronicles.files./2018/11/abba-kyari-and-super-falcons.jpg?w=584[/img]

It took an intervention by President Buhari before the Falcons and their coaches were paid their entitlements.

Florence Omagbemi

Some members of the NFF were angry that the Falcons staged a protest in Abuja. They believed that the Falcons embarrassed the NFF before the government and people of Nigeria and they held Coach Florence Omagbemi responsible for the protest.

They believed that Coach Omagbemi was responsible because she did not control her players and prevent them from protesting, so they decided that she must go. They decided that they would either appoint a foreigner as coach of the Falcons or they would recall the former coach, Edwin Okon, to take over as coach.

The NFF initially ignored Coach Omagbemi for months, then they directed her to apply for her job. They eventually frustrated her out of the job and the Falcons were without a coach for many months.

Agony of ex-Super Falcons coach, Godwin Izilien 12 years after Nations Cup triumph in South Africa

By Gowon Akpodonor |   30 December 2016   |   2:04 am

In 2004, Coach Godwin Izilein led the Super Falcons to win the African Nations Cup in Johannesburg, South Africa. It was the fourth AWC title for Nigeria.

Twelve years down the line, the coach, now 74 years old, and the rest of his coaching crew are still being owed salary arrears of over $28,750, out of which, $12,000 of the amount belongs to Izilien.

As in the case of the Coach Florence Omagbemi-led Super Falcons squad that won the recently concluded 2016 African Women’s Nations cup in Cameroun, the team to the 2004 AWC in Jo’burg was not given any chance by the then NFA board led by Alhaji Ibrahim Galadima before their departure for that championship.

With determination, however, Izilien and his players fought and won the battle, beating the Lionesses of Cameroun 5-0 in the final with Perpetua Nkwocha (now an assistant coach of the team) accounting for four goals plus a late strike from pocket dynamite, Vera Okolo.

Millions of football-loving Nigerians back home celebrated the victory late into the night, but unknown to them, Coach Izilien, members of his coaching crew and the players were being subjected to derision in far away Johannesburg.

Sensing another round foul play when the Galadima-led NFA defaulted in paying all entitlements after the competition, the girls protested by refusing to leave their hotel rooms the next morning for the airport, insisting on getting their camp allowances and winning bonuses.

“The team was abandoned by the Federal Government delegation, but as a coach and father to the players at that point in time, I had to stay back with them until the Nigeria Consulate intervened by paying the players’ entitlements,” Izilien recalled in a chat with The Guardian yesterday. “I took the pain to stay back with them because abandoning the girls at that point would be seen as unprofessional. But I was pleading with them to end the protest since we were in another country, but they refused.

“So many Nigerians who did not even know what transpired between me and the players in Johannesburg started to spread rumour back home that I instigated the players to embark on the protest. Some ‘bad belle’ people even went as far as saying that they saw us displaying Biafran flag while protesting on the streets of Johannesburg. I am an Edo man, and I have not seen a Biafran flag in my entire life. All the rumour were meant to spoil the mind of then President Olusegun Obasanjo and members of the Federal Executive Council,” he said.

Speaking further, Izilien, who also led the National U-17 team, Golden Eagles, to the African Championship in The Gambia in 1995 said: “Some of the Super Falcons players I took to South Africa in 2004 were relatively young. I discovered them during school competitions, and it is only fair that government should have appreciated my efforts. I am only using this medium to appeal to President Muhammadu Buhari, the Vice President, Prof. Yomi Osibanjo, Senate President, Bukola Saraki, members of the Senate Committee on Sports, House of Representatives and indeed all well meaning Nigerians to come to my rescue. It hurts me on daily basis whenever I remember the sacrifices I made for the country, and how I have been neglected in return. The players got their money, so why should I continue to suffer? Many governments have come and gone, but I will be very grateful to the Buhari administration if he could pay us the equivalent of that money. It is a way of rewarding excellence and fulfilling Federal Government’s promises.

“I have written several letters to concerned authorities without a single reply; I am suffering after being neglected by the football authority. To think that I agreed to handle the female national team at a time of crisis without asking for extra remuneration, and to be treated in this manner is not encouraging for the growth of the game. I did it out of patriotism for fatherland.

“We were promised payments on arrival in Nigeria after the championship, but till date nobody has said anything about that money,” Coach Izilien added.

Nigeria stage sit-in at WWC over unpaid bonuses

Colin Udoh Special to ESPN

3:29 AM


Nigeria players are staging a sit-in protest, refusing to leave their hotel in France until all of their outstanding bonuses are paid, following the team's elimination from the Women's World Cup on Saturday.

Players told ESPN they are owed bonuses from two games, against Gambia and Senegal, from as far back as two years ago, amounting to 2 million Nigerian naira (about $5,600 U.S.), but they have been paid only half of that. They also say they are owed five days of daily allowance while at the World Cup.

"They paid us 1 million [naira] and said that is all. We want them to pay the balance," one player told ESPN. "Part of that money is from two years ago, the other is from three years ago. And they are also owing us five days' daily allowance here in France.

"Before the World Cup, we asked them for a meeting so that we could discuss our World Cup bonuses, like they did with the men's team last year. They ignored the letter and nobody said anything about it until now."

The players are also demanding their share of the World Cup participation fee from FIFA, even though the tournament's organisers are not scheduled to pay those until September.

Nigeria Football Federation president Amaju Pinnick told ESPN that all the outstanding allowances have been paid.

"We have paid them everything they are being owed," he said.


Nigeria reached the knockout stage of the Women's World Cup before losing to Germany in the round of 16 on Saturday. Elsa/Getty Images

"The only thing outstanding is the participation fee from FIFA, which is not expected to come until after the tournament. But they insist that they want to get paid, as they have spoken to players from Cameroon and France, who told them they have already been paid."

It is not the first time Nigeria's women team has staged a protest over bonuses. After winning the 2016 African title in Cameroon, the squad returned home and staged a public demonstration on the streets of the capital, Abuja, to demand payment of their outstanding allowances.

In 2004, the team also sat in for three days at their hotel in South Africa after winning the African title until the allowances were settled.

Nigeria reached the knockout stage of the Women's World Cup in France before losing 3-0 to Germany in the round of 16 on Saturday in Grenoble.

No need for panic, working with Miyetti Allah in southeast is a security strategy

Published by Fredrick Nwabufo in On the Go

Security is everybody’s business. No individual, group, institution or organisation is nugatory in matters of security.  All efforts are needed and all hands must be forged into one fist in the pursuit of peace. In fact, it imperils security if any stakeholder to the peace is “quarantined” and stereotyped.

On Wednesday, I read a report on a security briefing by Audu Adamu Madaki, commissioner of police in Adamawa state. In that compte rendu, he revealed, essentially, the importance of working with critical stakeholders in retarding criminality.

Madaki said three kidnappers, who surrendered their arms and divulged crucial information on the artifices and operations of their criminal genre, were led to his office by an official of Miyetti Allah ( a show of resolve in helping to curb the menace).

Hear him: “Yesterday, we harvested three repentant kidnappers who voluntarily walked into my office, confessed to have been kidnappers; but have now repented and surrendered two AK-47s to the command.

“The herdsmen explained to me that they normally concealed the firearms in sacks of personal effects and strap them on the back of a cow and then immigrate to a chosen destination.

“They told me that they purchased them from the Republic of Cameroon and moved them into Nigeria through the bush path to beat immigration and other security agents along the border.”

I believe, there will be more gains in the effort to wrestle down banditry and kidnapping if the people, who can prevail on or sway these outlaws, are involved in the “sumo.” It is the reason I am strained by the sectional condemnation of the request by Miyetti Allah to help in fending off the brigands from the southeast.

At the Southeast Security Summit in Enugu on Thursday, Alhaji Bala Usman Ngelzerma, national secretary of Miyetti Allah, said the association was willing to help in strengthening the security architecture of the region through its vigilantes.

He said: “The Fulani Youth Vigilant body will be working with the security, the neighborhood watch or vigilante to ensure security in all communities, as it was done in Enugu state.

“We will solicit for your support and cooperation in adopting dialogue where problems exist as a means of brokering peace and to report cases against our members to either the Fulani Youth Vigilante Group, state or local branch of the association.”

Ordinarily, I see no distress in this imploration. To me, the hue and cry over Miyetti Allah’s entreaty are emotionally charged and sentimentally invoked. It should be considered as a gesture of good faith because it is commonsensical to fight criminality of this ilk with those girded with information and knowledge about the culprits.

On the one hand, there is an outrage over killings by strayed herdsmen in some parts of the southeast, and on the other hand, there is uproar over the entreaty by the monolithic association for herdsmen to help in checking this scourge. So, where do we go from here?

Although, I understand the concerns of those remonstrating, but is it not sagacious to involve some members of Miyetti Allah in the vigilante groups securing the southeast? I think, the pickle is assuming that an entire group is a culprit in the crimes of a few.  This is the corollary of stereotyping and the concomitants of conspiracy theories of “Fulanisation and Islamisation”.

With the frightening level of insecurity across the country, no region should rebuff a gesture of help from any party of interest. The argument that the north is worse hit by insecurity, so, Miyetti Allah should centre its effort there is vacuous and irrational.  These people have been profiled because of the crimes of a few, and now they are taking the pedal in the purge of their own; yet stereotyped and rebuffed?

We must give no room for conspiracy theories – of domination, invasion or conquest. These are the byproduct of distrust and fear. And instead of running wild with emotions, let us give space to rational thinking and disciplined conversations.

@FredrickNwabufo

Kiddogarcia:
the backpass law started with zaire man

LZAA:
I think he played in two euros
He won one in 88(the famous volley against USSR in munich) and lost in the semis in 92
He joined milan in 87

Kiddogarcia:
it was not cameroun bro.it's actually Zaire

LZAA:
Van basten's ankle was already gone before he went to milan.infact he blamed cryuff for playing him when he had d injury
Every change u saw in usa94 was done to get the US citizens intrested in soccer ie 3pts for a win,larger goals(done sensibly of course ),outlawing the tackle from behind and stopping keepers from picking a backpass
All these was done by FIFA in order for them to get their paws on US money

Emyjeze:
someone explain to me... I really don't get it

DisGuy:
@ Sir Naptu2

Perhaps because each league rules are governed first by their independent FAs- FIFA will need to get countries/leagues willing to act as guinea pigs so other FAs can decide if they want to follow suit

naptu2:


I predicted that this would happen. I said it at the end of May.


This World Cup reminds me of USA '94. The best 3rd placed teams also progressed to the knockout stage at USA '94, but more importantly, there were also rule changes ahead of USA '94.


Marco Van Basten was one of my favourite strikers in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He scored great goals for AC Milan and Holland and he won the 1989 and 1990 European Cup titles with Milan.

However, Italian football had the hardest tackling defenders back then and their tackles took a toll on Van Basten. He repeatedly suffered ankle injuries. Then, in the final of the 1993 European Cup/Champions League, Basile Boli made a viscious tackle on Van Basten and that tackle practically ended his career.

FIFA were unhappy that Van Basten would not play in the 1994 World Cup and they therefore banned tackles from behind (just before the World Cup). Any tackle from behind would result in a red card.

Backpasses were also banned (because of Cameroon's habit of constantly passing the ball to their goalkeeper at the 1990 World Cup).

These rules were implemented at the 1994 World Cup and these led to many complaints. A British magazine at the time wrote that the referee was blowing his whistle as if he was a traffic cop. A commentator said that a referee gave someone a yellow card simply for breathing.

Commentators, footballers, coaches and analysts complained about the referee's decisions.


The problem I had when I heard about these new rules at the end of May was that FIFA was going to start implementing the rules at the World Cup!

I've always wondered why FIFA and IFAB always introduce these rules just before a World Cup competition. The World Cup is meant to be the most important football competition and there's a lot at stake. Why don't they first try out these new rules during league games, so that referees, players, coaches, fans, commentators and analysts will get used to them before introducing them at the highest level of the game?

By the way, for those saying that it's only Nigerians that are complaining, either because they are biased or sentimental, note that it's not only Nigerians that are complaining. Many foreigners are also complaining and this is because a new rule has just been implemented at the highest level of the game. There are always complaints from all over the world when this happens.

Temporary dispensation: no cautions for goalkeeper encroachment during Kicks from the Penalty Mark

21 JUN 2019

Temporary dispensation related to cautions for goalkeeper encroachment during Kicks from the Penalty Mark at the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2019

The IFAB Board of Directors today approved a request from FIFA for a temporary dispensation relating to Kicks from the Penalty Mark (KFPM) in Law 10 – Determining the Outcome of a Match at the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2019.

The Law currently states that “if the goalkeeper commits an offence and, as a result, the kick is retaken, the goalkeeper must be cautioned”. The purpose of the caution (yellow card) is to act as a deterrent to the goalkeeper to not infringe the Laws of the Game, in particular by not encroaching from the goal line before the kick is taken. However, in matches where Video Assistant Referees (VARs) are being used, the presence of the VARs acts as an even greater deterrent to goalkeepers as they know that any encroachment will be detected by the VARs if it is not detected by the on-field match officials.

The IFAB fully supports goalkeepers being penalised for not conforming with the Laws of the Game and gaining an unfair advantage. However, for any KFPM during the knockout stages of the on-going FIFA Women’s World Cup 2019 in France, a temporary dispensation has been given to FIFA from the requirement to caution a goalkeeper who is penalised for an offence which results in a kick being retaken.

The main reasons for this temporary dispensation include:

- the presence of VARs acts as a far greater deterrent than the caution

- the presence of VARs greatly increases the likelihood of any offence being detected and, as goalkeepers are likely to face a number of kicks during KFPM, there is a higher risk that a goalkeeper will be sent off for receiving a second caution if already cautioned in normal time, or two cautions during the KFPM

- unlike during ‘normal time’, when a sent-off goalkeeper can usually be 'replaced' by the team substituting an outfield player for a specialist reserve goalkeeper, substitutions are not allowed in KFPM so an outfield player would have to become the goalkeeper

Both FIFA and The IFAB therefore believe that the requirement to caution an offending goalkeeper in KFPM in matches with VARs is not necessary and risks unfairly distorting the KFPM if a goalkeeper is sent off.

The IFAB confirms that this temporary dispensation does not apply to penalty kicks during ‘normal time’ because goalkeepers have already received cautions for this offence during the tournament and it would be unfair to change at this point of the competition. In contrast, KFPM are only introduced for the forthcoming knockout stages. 

The IFAB believes that this request could bring greater fairness to the FIFA Women’s World Cup; the experience gathered will enable further consideration of the impact of VARs on penalty kicks, and especially KFPM, in the future.