By Paul Bassey For the benefit of my rising band of readers let me repeat the fact that this column usually goes in on Friday sometimes as early as noon. What this means and sadly too is that I will not be in a position to discuss the decisive CAF Champions league return leg cracker […]

Wednesday, I was a member of a panel put together by Vanguard Newspapers to discuss the way forward for Nigeria football.

Big Brother: Your Excellency, Big Brother has noticed the dwindling fortunes of Nigerian sports and Big Brother wants to find out your opinion on this.
Gov Fashola: Big Brother, I am aware, but it is not as bad as some of us portray it.
Big Brother: Gov what gives you this hope?

By Paul Bassey Events of the last three weeks, including two editorial pieces on our sports, coming as it were from two top newspapers – Guardian and The Sun – have set me thinking on the future of sports in this country, the most recent being the reelection bid of the outgoing President of the […]

September 6 was a terrible day in the history of Nigeria football. It was a day confidence was buried alive and a buried “hope” was exhumed, becoming a bride courted by Nigerians from Maiduguri to Uyo. September 6, our World Cup qualification was put in dire straits, to say the least.

Bonuses and Allowances – This is a no-go area. In fact you may have to pay this money in advance for players to know how serious you are. If, for whatever reason, things are not going too well at half time, it is from this budget that members of the PTF are expected to draw from when they run into the dressing room to increase the bonus from $10,000 to $20,000 each.

As you are reading this the World Athletics Championship would have come to an end. At the time of going to press, Nigeria had no hope of getting into any final, not to talk of winning a medal of any metal, colour or shade.

This was followed by a confirmation by AIT’s Aisha Falode. I thought this was credible given the calibre of people behind the award, the personalities I was to serve with, but most importantly, the concept which was quite refreshing coming from a private sector player that is constantly seeking ways of affirming its good corporate citizenship.

Please don’t get me wrong. The headline does not suggest that there were any serious deliberations in Lokoja. None that I knew of.

A sport consultant would have let the MTN know that accreditations are necessary, that a mixed zone or media centre had to be established and that players had to meet the media before, during and after the match.

“Needless to tell you that Nigeria is not here. Although we are automatic qualifiers for the World Cup as host, this is a competition that has become our birthright in Africa only for coach Alphonsus Dike and his hapless squad to get us knocked out by Benin.

“Simple” things like travelling arrangements have affected the chances of most Nigerian club-sides who oftentimes arrive their destination too close to kick off. You can imagine the dilemma of a team that arrives Lagos on a Friday for a Saturday match that is billed for Sokoto!

By Paul Bassey I followed the Confederation Cup with keen interest. I wonder who did not. The rights acquired by the Broadcasting  Organisation of Nigeria (BON) further brought the cup nearer to Nigerians and with it, the attendant excitement. The Confederation Cup was also expected to be a dress rehearsal for the FIFA World Cup […]

Since we are so helpless, I need time to go back to my village and consult, ask for that Dele Giwa type scenario where the gods of the land decreed that whosoever killed the ace journalist will run out onto the streets, naked. I want to consult and get assurance that if Akwa United two seasons ago and Zamfara now did fix their matches, soon, very soon, let them come out confessing. I will wait for that to happen.