Tag: Nigeria Football Federation

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DR Congo drop NFF-disputed players for play-offs

The Democratic Republic of Congo have omitted two players highlighted in the Nigeria Football Federation’s complaint to FIFA as they unveiled a 26-man squad for the 2026 World Cup intercontinental play-offs, a development that adds fresh intrigue to an eligibility dispute still awaiting a verdict from world football’s governing body, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

Head coach Sébastien Desabre released the Leopards’ squad on Wednesday, retaining the core players who guided the team past Nigeria on penalties in the African play-off round while recalling several names absent from the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.

Captain Chancel Mbemba leads the side alongside established figures such as Cedric Bakambu, Yoane Wissa and Samuel Moutoussamy as DR Congo pursue a second appearance at the World Cup.

However, the announcement is notable for the absence of Michel-Ange Balikwisha and Mario Stroeykens , two of the players Nigeria specifically highlighted in its formal complaint to FIFA over alleged eligibility breaches.

Only Matheu Epolo, the third player mentioned prominently in the Nigerian petition, has been included in Desabre’s squad.

Nigeria lodged the complaint after losing the African play-off tie to DR Congo 4–3 on penalties, arguing that the Congolese federation misled FIFA in securing nationality switches for several overseas-born players.

The petition, made public on December 15, 2025, asked FIFA to investigate the matter and potentially disqualify DR Congo from the qualification process.

The Nigerian federation’s document listed numerous foreign-born players who featured against the Super Eagles, including Lionel Mpasi, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Axel Tuanzebe, Arthur Masuaku, Samuel Moutoussamy, Ngal’ayel Mukau, Noah Sadiki, Nathanael Mbuku and Cedric Bakambu in the starting line-up, as well as substitutes Timothy Fayulu, Matheu Epolo, Joris Kayembe, Edo Kayembe, Steve Kapuadi, Gédéon Kalulu, Michel-Ange Balikwisha and Mario Stroeykens.

In the complaint, released publicly by journalist Osasu Obayiuwana, Nigeria argued that several players obtained clearance to represent DR Congo only days before the decisive play-off match against them, despite having been called up earlier for the fixture.

The document questioned how the Congolese federation could summon players before final approval had been granted by FIFA.

“It should be added for context that at least three of these players with unrenounced Belgian nationality (Michel-Ange Balikwisha, Mario Stroeykens, and Matheu Epolo) received their final clearance to play for DRC between November 11 and 12, 2025, just before the play-off match against Nigeria on November 16, 2025,” the complaint read.

“Notably, Balikwisha played his debut match for DRC in this game against Nigeria.”

The document further suggested that the timeline surrounding the call-ups raised serious concerns about procedural compliance.

“It is most curious, however, that these players had already been called up by DRC on November 1, 2025, to play in the play-offs, approximately eleven days before receiving FIFA clearance and approvals.”

“This raises the question of what gave FECOFA the confidence to take the unusual step of calling up players of a foreign nationality for such crucial play-offs well before securing the necessary FIFA approval for those players.”

“We request a formal investigation into these serious matters.”

Balikwisha had made his debut against Nigeria and converted one of the penalties in the shoot-out that secured DR Congo’s progression, while Stroeykens was unable to earn his first senior cap after sustaining an injury soon after the match.

Epolo, meanwhile, only made his international debut for the Leopards on December 16, 2025, a day after Nigeria’s complaint became public.

Their absence from the new squad, particularly Balikwisha’s omission despite his decisive role in the previous round, inevitably raises questions about whether the Congolese coaching staff are attempting to avoid further scrutiny while the case remains unresolved. (Punch)

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Odegbami tells NFF, NSC to immortalise Onigbinde

Former Super Eagles captain and 1980 Africa Cup of Nations winner, Segun Odegbami, has urged the Nigeria Football Federation and the National Sports Commission to immortalise the late Super Eagles coach, Adegboye Onigbinde, to preserve his legacy in Nigerian football, The PUNCH reports.

Onigbinde, who handled the Nigeria national team twice and also served as a CAF and FIFA instructor, died on Monday, March 9, at the age of 88.

The Modakeke-born coach first led Nigeria between 1982 and 1984, guiding the Green Eagles to a second-place finish at the 1984 AFCON in Ivory Coast. The achievement made him the first Nigerian coach to win an AFCON medal.

He returned in 2002 as the Technical Director of the Nigeria Football Association and led a new-look Super Eagles side to the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Korea and Japan.

While tributes have continued to pour in for the late tactician, Odegbami believes he deserves a permanent place in the history of Nigerian football.

“He stands out as one of the most successful Nigerians to coach the national team and work in coaching within the country. Nigeria must find a way to immortalise him. The Nigeria Football Federation and the National Sports Commission must ensure that he is immortalised. He deserves it,” Odegbami said during a radio programme, Sports Salsa, on Kennis FM.

“It is painful for all of us. His love for football, his passion for developing the game, and the feeling that he was not fully utilised to transform Nigerian football remain notable. But he has left a legacy that is unmatched. Nigerians should always remember him for his great contributions to our football history.”

Onigbinde also served as Technical Adviser to the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation, where he oversaw the country’s youth teams.

The Nigeria Football Federation described his death as “the exit of a great man who served Nigeria football wholeheartedly and was diligent and devoted to the development of the game.”

For many years, he worked as a technical adviser to the Confederation of African Football and served on several Technical Study Groups for both FIFA and CAF at major international tournaments.

He began his coaching career in the 1960s and rose to national prominence in 1977 when he led Water Corporation FC of Ibadan to the quarter-finals of the African Cup of Champions Clubs. Seven years later, he guided Ibadan giants Shooting Stars to the final of the same competition.

Burial arrangements for the late coach will be announced by his family in the coming days. (Punch)

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Nigeria sports community mourns Onigbinde

Tributes are still pouring in for the late Super Eagles coach, Adegboye Onigbinde, who passed away on Monday.

Led by the National Sports Commission and the Nigeria Football Federation, Onigbinde’s passing has been described as “the exit of a great man who served Nigerian football wholeheartedly and was diligent and devoted to the development of the game.”

“His legacies as a former national team coach and former CAF and FIFA technical instructor will continue to shape the sport for decades to come. A true legend has gone home. Rest on, High Chief,” the Director-General of the NSC, Bukola Olopade, wrote.

Similarly, the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of the National Institute for Sports, Philip Shaibu, said, “Coach Onigbinde represents an era of discipline, courage and football intelligence. At the National Institute for Sports, we believe our legends must be celebrated, respected and preserved as national treasures while we also tap into their experience and wisdom in navigating our core mandate. Unfortunately, as part of the natural course of life, he is no longer with us.”

NFF General Secretary Dr Mohammed Sanusi said the Modakeke high chief was “an extraordinary achiever who impacted positively not only on Nigerian football but on the African and global game at large.”

“Indeed, a big tree has fallen. Chief Onigbinde ate, drank, breathed, slept and lived football development. We will miss him greatly, as he was never tired of offering advice on the game’s development even at his ripe old age. We pray that God will grant him eternal rest and also grant his family, relations, friends and the Nigerian football fraternity the fortitude to bear the loss.”

The Nigeria Football Coaches Association also paid tribute to the man widely regarded as a trailblazer of coaching education in the country.

“Beyond his technical contributions on the pitch, he was a respected leader, mentor and elder statesman whose influence extended through generations of coaches, players and football administrators across Nigeria and Africa,” the association said in a statement.

Respected globally for his deep knowledge of the game’s tactics and techniques, Onigbinde served as Technical Director of the Nigeria Football Federation and also as Technical Adviser to the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation, where he worked with the country’s youth teams. He was for many years a technical adviser to the Confederation of African Football and also served on several Technical Study Groups of FIFA and CAF at major championships.

He began his coaching career in the 1960s and rose to national prominence in 1977, when he led Water Corporation FC of Ibadan to the quarter-finals of the African Cup of Champions Clubs. Seven years later, he guided Shooting Stars Sports Club of Ibadan to the final of the same competition.

A quintessential teacher, educator and instructor, Onigbinde was the first indigenous coach to lead Nigeria’s senior men’s national team to an Africa Cup of Nations silver medal, achieving the feat with a largely youthful squad at the 1984 tournament in Côte d’Ivoire.

The cerebral tactician later guided the Super Eagles to the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Korea and Japan, where a blend of emerging talents and experienced players narrowly lost to Argentina and Sweden and drew with England. He became the first Nigerian coach to manage the Super Eagles at the FIFA World Cup, following foreign managers Clemens Westerhof (1994) and Bora Milutinović (1998).

Afterwards, he served as an instructor and educator for the NFF, CAF and FIFA, dedicating his time to training coaches and football administrators, a contribution that earned him recognition and accolades across the football world. (Punch)

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Chukwuma calls on President Tinubu to force entire NFF Board to resign

Not satisfied with inability of the Super Eagles to qualify for next year’s FIFA World Cup after similarly missing out of the last edition in Qatar in 2022, a former Vice President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Chief Gabriel Chukwuma, asked for the resignation of the entire board of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) led by Ibrahim Gusau.

Although the NFF has petition FIFA to disqualify DR Congo who defeated Super Eagles in shootouts of the final match of the African Playoffs in Morocco last month for fielding nine players that Nigeria consider  ineligible”, Chukwuma stressed that seeking to get into the Intercontinental playoffs through the boardroom was beneath the three-time continental champions.

“The NFF board should resign because if they had gotten their acts together earlier, the Super Eagles would have qualified  with ease without depending on play-offs or boardroom points now.”

The former proprietor of Gabros FC of Nnewi who is one of the highest stakeholders in Nigerian football, having managed a football club for 22 years from amateur to professional rank, said that apart from not qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, the current board rendered all male national teams powerless.

“The board has through cluelessness reduced our male teams to minnows of African football, beaten easily by unpopular or unknown names in football,” he noted with sadness.

Chukwuma recalled: “Since last year, I have been telling them to contact  me  so that I can assist in contributing money and  can  possibly  engage some of my friends to assist, if money was their problem. 

“Now, they have failed, there is nothing they can do. They should stop deceiving President Bola Tinubu that there is still hope for Super Eagles to Reach the World Cup to be hosted by USA, Canada and Mexico. 

“Just because our president is a listening president, they go to him and deceive him. They forget that Nigerians like football. They hardly eat or sleep when Nigerian teams are playing as they are always ready to watch them. 

“The federal government gave NFF tax payers’ money, including my money and they swallowed it. Nigeria have the crop of best legs  in the whole world. But the problem is that those who manage our football dont know what to do, they are only interested in doing players’ agent. 

He decried the situation where everyone in football administration will wants his or her players to be in the teams to play  matches. 

“Football is either you get results or you get rich. As long as you want to enrich yourself you cannot get results. I said this many months ago that Nigeria cannot qualify for the World Cup. Not that I was wishing the country bad luck but just to challenge those managing our football to qualify for the World Cup.”

Chukwuma reiterated, ” Let me say it again, all NFF board members should resign from their positions to allow young managers take over the management of football in the country and prepare for the 2030 World Cup. 

“It is shameful that some countries that are not up to Lagos qualified easily.  And now, I am hearing  that these same people who have dragged our football into the abyss are preparing to return for another term. 

“It is an insult to the whole nation. If President Tinubu allows them to go for anothet term, we have accepted defeat and should say goodbye to ever qualifying for the World Cup. And if they are not resigning, I am ready to go to court to force them out, for capable people to take over. “ (ThisDay)

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Plane flying Super Eagles back to Nigeria makes emergency landing in Angola

The aircraft conveying Nigeria’s Super Eagles from South Africa to Uyo for their final World Cup qualifier against the Benin Republic made an emergency landing in Luanda, Angola, on Saturday after developing a technical fault mid-air.

The ValueJet aircraft, which initially stopped in Luanda to refuel, reportedly turned back about 25 minutes after takeoff when a loud crack appeared on the aircraft’s windshield, prompting the pilot to initiate emergency procedures.

The same aircraft had flown some members of the delegation to Polokwane on Thursday night, arriving in the South African city on Friday morning.

All players, officials, and government delegates on board were safely evacuated upon landing.

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) confirmed the incident, adding that a cracked windscreen was responsible for the emergency landing

”However, after a routine refuelling stop in Luanda, Angola (where the plane also stopped to refuel on Thursday night, and where the same plane had stopped to refuel to and from Bloemfontein in South Africa for the Matchday 8 encounter between the Super Eagles and the Bafana Bafana last month).”

”The aircraft suffered a cracked windscreen mid-air after take-off, and the pilot did well to guide the aeroplane safely back to the airport in Luanda,” the NFF said

The football federation also said plans were being made for another aircraft to fly from Lagos and pick up the delegation in Luanda.

“ValueJet Airline and the relevant Federal Government of Nigeria authorities, including the Hon. Minister of Aviation, the Hon. Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Chief of Staff to Mr President, are working assiduously to get the necessary overflying and landing permits for another aircraft to fly from Lagos, pick the delegation in Luanda and fly them to Uyo.” (Channels)

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Falcons will inspire Eagles’ World Cup chase – Gusau

President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Ibrahim Musa Gusau, has described the Super Falcons’ stirring comeback win in the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations final as a source of motivation for the Super Eagles in their quest to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

The Falcons overturned a two-goal deficit to defeat hosts Morocco 3–2 in Saturday night’s dramatic final at the Stade Olympique de Rabat, a feat Gusau believes reflects the resilient spirit required by the men’s team as they prepare for four crucial qualifying matches.

“I am very happy because our girls rose from the ‘dead’, as they say, and fought to victory. This was an extraordinary performance. I congratulate them for their resilience, doggedness, patriotism and the blatant display of the well-known Nigerian spirit,” Gusau said after the final.

“This victory, and the spirit behind it, will have positive implications for the men in their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying series. We have four more matches to turn the tables against our opponents, and watching the Super Falcons tonight, and how they turned things around, underscores again the wise saying that in sport and life, it is never over until it is over.”

Gusau hailed the Falcons’ impressive tournament form, in which they scored 14 goals and conceded just three en route to winning a record-extending 10th continental title.

He praised the team’s technical crew, captain and entire squad for a campaign that not only restored pride but rewrote their redemption story from the 2022 edition.

“From the coaching crew to the team captain and the players, we say thank you and well done. With a commanding triumph in the Women’s AFCON once again, what is left for us to target now is conquering the world at the FIFA Women’s World Cup,” Gusau added.

With Nigeria’s 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign set to resume in September, against Rwanda at home and South Africa away, Gusau believes the Falcons’ resilience has laid down the blueprint for them.

“This triumph reminds us that no matter how dire the situation, belief and effort can turn things around. The Eagles must draw from this and fight for Nigeria,” he said. (Punch)