The Nigeria Football Federation president Amaju Pinnick has disclosed that the Federation is expecting a total sum of $1million from world football-governing body, FIFA, and another $500,000 from the African confederation, CAF.
The money was given to all members association by the continental body, FIFA and CAF to cushion the effect of the COVID-19 on football association across the world.
During a live session on NFF’s official Instagram page on Thursday, Pinnick said
the money will be used to provide support for clubs in the Nigeria Professional Football League, Nigeria National League, Nigeria Women Football League and the Nigeria Nationwide League for next season’s football campaign.
“At the moment we are expecting a total sum of $1million from world football-governing body, FIFA, and another $500,000 from the African confederation, CAF. “We would take from these various monies and add also from monies that we are expecting from our corporate partners, and see what we can give to each of the Clubs in these four cadres” Pinnick said
“This financial support is for them to get their campaigns off the ground for the new season that we have set for September/October, depending on what signals we get from the Federal Government, through the Presidential Task Force on the COVID-19 and other relevant organs. We are also going to support the league organizing bodies financially.” Although he added that the football body has written to the Government to also support the cause, he admitted that the Government is presently burdened by so many challenges wrought by the COVID-19 and it could be a tall order.
Pinnick assured that the NFF would prioritize for now, the qualification of the U17 and U20 women national teams for their various FIFA World Cup competitions, as well as getting top grade friendly matches for the Super Eagles and the Super Falcons.
“CAF has written to inform us that the qualifiers for the U17 and U20 FIFA Women World Cups will hold in September and October. We are determined to prepare our girls well to qualify for both championships. At the same time, we are working assiduously to see that the Super Eagles and Super Falcons get quality opponents for friendly matches within the next few months. For the Super Eagles, we have an African team and a South American team on the cards.
“First and foremost, we have to get the Super Falcons a Head Coach of the highest quality possible. We are working on that, as our consultants are already on it, and also working on the appointment of coaches for some other National Teams. On our part, we have ring fenced a sum of money to pay the Head Coach of the Super Falcons for a number of years to come, so that challenge is taken care of.”
Pinnick said this year’s NFF/Zenith Bank Future Eagles Championship, which was already at the zonal stage before the disruption occasioned by COVID-19, would have to start all over again. “We have no choice. It is a programme so close to our hearts, knowing that it serves the important purpose of providing true youngsters for the National Teams. The pandemic has disrupted and certainly, some of the players would no longer be of the age that they were before the disruption. So, we have to start all over again.”
