NFF Inaugurates Technical Committee, Assures Support
The President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Ibrahim Gusau, inaugurated the recently-constituted NFF Technical Committee in Abuja on Tuesday.
The committee is among 17 standing and three ad hoc committees constituted by the NFF in Abuja on August 8th, 2023. Gusau charged the committee to be ready to accomplish the herculean tasks of constituting fresh technical crews for most of the national teams and providing direction for them.
He said the committee members had been carefully selected based on their individual track records, adding that the NFF was confident that they would contribute positively to the assignment.
“It will not be an easy assignment, as most of the national teams have concluded one competition or the other and are now preparing for fresh tasks,” Gusau said. “That raises the need to compose new technical crews and provide guidance and vision to the crews.”
“The Super Falcons are back from the FIFA World Cup, but we must remember that they have 2024 Olympics and 2024 Women’s AFCON qualifying matches shortly and start to prepare for those games.
“The home-based professionals have qualifiers for the CHAN and the male and female U-17 and U-20 teams have qualification matches of high importance in a few months to come,” he added.
Gusau promised that the NFF would support the committee to accomplish its work, while emphasising that meetings might be either physical or by video conference.
Responding, Chairman of the committee, Sharif Inuwa, said it would discharge its duties with every sense of responsibility. He added that the members would be guided by the vision of the Gusau-led administration to work proactively to ensure the real growth of the game of football in Nigeria, in all its aspects and ramifications.
One of the committee’s primary assignments will be to deliberate and take critical decisions with regards to the future of both the head coach of the Super Eagles, José Peseiro and that of the Super Falcons, Randy Waldrum.
Peseiro’s contract expired in July but he has an option for extension, based on his performances, especially with the crucial 2024 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers expected to kick off in September.
The NFF on the other hand, are faced with the herculean task of continuing to meet up with the demands of Peseiro’s mouth-watering $70,000 salary. The NFF will now have to quickly make a crucial decision on whether to continue with the Portuguese and advise him to take a pay-cut.
Otherwise they might have to terminate his contract and appoint an interim coach while the search for a new coach continues.
The committee has as Vice Chairman the NFF 1st Vice President, Felix Anyansi-Agwu, while Felix Akinloye, Aminu Kurfi, Zanna Mala, Victor Ikpeba and Olayinka Olagbemiro are members. NFF’s Technical Director, Coach Augustine Eguavoen is the secretary.
Also at the occasion were Silas Agara, Chairman of the Nigeria Nation-Wide League One; NFF General Secretary, Mohammed Sanusi; immediate past NFF General Secretary, Musa Amadu and NFF Director of Communications, Ademola Olajire.
Others were CEO of the Nigeria National League, Emmanuel Attah; Assistant Directors Abdulrafiu Yusuf and Faith Ben-Anuge; member of NFF Marketing Committee, Ibrahim Danbatta and Special Assistant to NFF President, Abubakar Barde.
