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The unfair treatment accorded female footballers in Nigeria came into focus yesterday at a media roundtable in Lagos.

The event, which
took place in Lagos was organised by Search and Groom, a
nongovernmental organisation based in Lagos in conjunction with the
Heinrich Boell Foundation, a German organisation affiliated to the
German Political Party, Alliance 90/Greens.

The roundtable,
with the theme ‘We play for gender equality,’ had representatives of
media organisations coming together to discuss “Gender (in) equality in
Women Football”.

Delivering the
keynote address at the event, Joke Adefulire, Lagos State Commissioner
for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation decried the imbalance between
the men’s and women’s game.

“The men’s league
has been given its autonomy thereby enjoying the full
benefits/complement of sponsorship, marketing and advertising,” she
said.

Dear to the heart

Adefulire, who said the topic, was dear to her heart, added:

“When we describe
the game as beautiful, we see the future as feminine and for those who
know the link between beauty and feminism. If you conclude that
football is a woman you will not be wrong”.

Participants at the
event deplored the huge gap existing between men and women’s football
in the country particularly the lack of organisation in the women’s
league especially the thinking by the marketing department of the
Nigeria Football Federation that the women’s game is not marketable.

The preferential
treatment accorded members of Nigeria’s male national teams
particularly the Super Eagles, also became a topic discussion at the
roundtable with participants unhappy with the fact that while members
of the Super Eagles are amply rewarded for excelling in international
football competitions, members of the Super Falcons, Nigeria’s senior
women’s team are treated shabbily. They held that while the Eagles were
well rewarded for winning the Africa Cup of Nations in 1994, the
Falcons have not been given any special treatment for their numerous
successes on the African continent.

Shady administrators

Another key issue
that came for discussion at the event was lack of transparency
perceived by the participants to be involved in the administration of
football in Nigeria. They held that with world football governing body,
FIFA making annual grants available to the NFF to develop women’s
football, there is no indication of how the funds are administered.

The media itself
was not absolved of blame in the problems facing women’s football with
participants agreeing that it had not done enough to promote it:

“We have not done
enough to push the equality of the women agenda in a game that the
women have brought us joy and celebration in achievement both
individually and as a team,” Adefulire said adding that the situation
can be remedied:

“However the media can do more because the women game deserves it
and has worked hard to earn our respect by these achievements,” she
said.

Nigeria’s
former number one ranked golfer, Oche Odoh, will take to the field
today as this year’s edition of the MTC Namibia Open tees off in the
Namibian capital, Windhoek.

The championship,
which will see participants battling for a share of the 1.2million
South African rand (around 39million naira) prize money will be taking
place on the 6,570-metre par-71 Windhoek Country Club.

The star prize is
however 190,200 rand (around six million naira) and a strong field of
131 golfers, including Oche, will be hoping that they get to become the
winner of the princely amount come the end of the championship on
Sunday.

“I am very
positive. In a while I have not felt like this and I am very
confident,” said Oche who is the only Nigerian taking part in the
championship which is one of the biggest events in the Southern
African-based Sunshine Tour.

Odoh recently took
part in the Harare Open, but despite an impressive display of shots
that saw him progressing from the pre-qualifying rounds and into the
tournament’s main draw, he failed to advance past the second round no
thanks to a heavy downpour.

He is however
hoping to make up for his recent disappointment with a good display at
the Namibia Open, and is encouraged by the victory of his close buddy
Gift Willy in last month’s Gambian Open.

“Gift is my
room-mate in South Africa and it is comforting and encouraging to hear
the news of his win in Banjul,” Odoh said of his compatriot.

“We share the same dream of playing ourselves to the top of the world ranking. It is encouraging.”

The favourites

Odoh is scheduled
to take to the greens later today in the company of South Africa’s
Lourens Kleynhans and Finland’s Onkoshi Eriksson but he, as well as
other competitors at the Open will have to be at their best to get the
better of South Africa’s Branden Grace.

In the absence of
defending champion, Hennie Otto, and with the man who beat him to the
title in the final round of last month’s Telkom PGA Championship,
George Coetzee, in action in the Sicilian Open on the European Tour,
Grace, currently ranked seventh on the Sunshine Tour, is one of the
favourites for the title.

But he won’t have things all his own way as he will challenged by
his cousin Michiel Bothma, a four-time winner on the Sunshine Tour, and
fellow South African Oliver Bekker.

Head
Coach of the national U-23 team, Austin Eguavoen has reviewed his team
list for next weekend’s 2012 Olympic Games qualifying match against
Equatorial Guinea. Eguavoen called up Nosa Igiebor and Odion Jude
Ighalo to replace central defender Alex Nkume and forward Uchebo
Okechukwu.

Just as his team
was preparing to hit Benin City on Thursday morning to continue
preparation for the match at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Eguavoen
said he has come to the conclusion that Ighalo, who captained the
Flying Eagles at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Egypt in 2009 and Igiebor
would better serve his purpose for the first leg encounter.

Striker Ighalo plays for Grenada FC of Spain while Igiebor plays in
Norway. Uchebo Okechukwu and Alex Nkume played for the Flying Eagles at
the African Youth Championship in Rwanda in early 2009.

Nigerian
striker Aiyegbeni Yakubu hasn’t scored for Leicester City in almost a
month but his coach at the English Championship side, Sven-Goran
Eriksson believes it won’t be long before the striker rediscovers his
scoring form.

Yakubu, who joined
Leicester in January — on loan until the end of the season from
Premier League side Everton — found the back of the net four times in
his first six games for the Foxes.

But since grabbing
Leicester’s opening goal in the Foxes 2-1 win over Bristol City at the
Walkers Stadium on February 18, the Nigerian international has been
unable to score a goal for the promotion seeking side.

Five games and over
500 minutes of football have since gone by since Yakubu’s 21st minute
strike against Bristol City, and it is enough to make any striker
worried.

Eriksson, a former
coach of the English national team, admits that it was a source of
concern for the highly-rated Yakubu, but is quick to add that he was
satisfied with the Nigerian’s overall contribution to the team.

Confidence

The Swedish-born coach is nevertheless certain that the 28-year-old would very soon rediscover his goal scoring form.

“I guess it is more
a concern for him as a striker, but not just him, any striker,
especially as he has come from the Premier League and dropped down a
division,” said Eriksson, also a former handler of Italian sides Parma
and Lazio.

He added: “His fame
is goal scoring. He had a couple of chances against Norwich (on
Tuesday, March 8) and he will score again soon, no problem.

“We want to play
him in as often as possible because we know if he can control it, and
he is always marked of course, something will come out of his
cleverness.

“He comes out on the half turn and plays people in. He is a clever football player.”

Leicester City,
following five straight victories, have since suffered three losses in
their last five games and have dropped to ninth on the log standings.

But with nine matches to the end of the season, they will need to
rediscover their early season form if they are to secure one of the two
automatic promotion spots beginning with this weekend’s home game
against Portsmouth which incidentally was one of Yakubu’s former sides.

Heartland
FC goalkeeper, Bassey Akpan is excited that the Appeals Committee of
the Nigeria Football Federation has lifted a one year ban placed on him
by the disciplinary committee.

Akpan was
sanctioned after he shoved the centre referee for what he believed was
a wrong call in a game against Sunshine Stars on January 20.

Despite his joy, the goalkeeper said he learned some hard lessons in the time he spent outside the football arena.

“I have learnt a lot and I have also realised my mistakes,” he said.

“I have no business
with how any referee handles any match; my job is to guide against the
opponent scoring against my team and that is what I will face
squarely.”

A successful appeal

Heartland had appealed the decision to ban Akpan for a year and on Tuesday the Appeals Committee ruled in their favour.

The committee
reduced Akpan’s ban to the time he has already served in addition to
six month suspended ban, which he would have to serve if he is involved
in any disciplinary case within the period.

The committee also ruled that the Nigeria Premier League should promptly refund the N100, 000 fine paid by Akpan.

Ready to return

Already, Akpan is
eager to return to action stating that he is still optimistic of
getting a call to join the Super Eagles team for the must win match
against Ethiopia on March 27.

“I am still hopeful
for a call; I hope the coaches can still give me a look in. I have been
part of the team’s training at different times and I always give my
best when any opportunity is given,” he said.

Only the
Israel-based duo of Vincent Enyeama and Dele Aiyenugba were handed call
ups in the 24-man list released by Super Eagles coach Samson Siasia.

Akpan thanked the football federation and everybody that stood by him while the ban lasted.

“I am very excited and happy right now; I thank God almighty and
everybody for their support in those trying times. It wasn’t easy I
must confess I am happy to be back,” he concluded.

Liverpool
and Ajax Amsterdam, nine-times European champions between them, will
both sorely miss Uruguay’s Luis Suarez as they battle for survival in
the Europa League on Thursday.

Four-times European
champions Ajax travel to Spartak Moscow for a last-16 return match 1-0
down from last week’s first leg while Liverpool face Portuguese
upstarts Braga at Anfield trailing by the same score.

Suarez scored 81
league goals in less than four seasons with Ajax before leaving for
Liverpool in January and the Dutch team could certainly have done with
his nose for goal in Russia, having dominated the game and missed a
hatful of chances.

Suarez miss

Liverpool will also be unable to count on the 23-year-old forward because he is cup-tied.

“We would much
rather have Luis playing in the Europa League but then we would much
rather have him for a long-term contract than just for three months,”
manager Kenny Dalglish told Sky’s website (www.skysports.com).

“We are happy he is at the club and we just need to wait.”

Although Suarez is
absent, plenty of other South Americans have been enjoying themselves
in Europe’s much-maligned second-string tournament.

South American
players grabbed winners in four of last week’s eight ties and Colombian
Radamel Falcao Garcia tops the overall scoring charts with seven goals
for Porto.

Brazilian
midfielder Alex Meschini poached Spartak’s winner at Ajax and
compatriot Nilmar netted twice to give Villarreal a 3-2 win at Bayer
Leverkusen and put his side in the driving seat in the clash between
the only surviving Spanish and German teams.

Portuguese sides
Porto and Benfica regularly feature up to eight South Americans in
their starting line-ups, with Colombians and Argentines joining the
more familiar Brazilians.

Porto have been a
dominant force in the competition this year, losing only one out of 11
games, and are strongly placed to progress as they host CSKA Moscow
with a 1-0 lead from the first leg in Russia.

Superb strike

The winner was courtesy of a superb strike from Falcao’s fellow Colombian Fredy Guarin.

Benfica’s line-up
could include Paraguay World Cup striker Oscar Cardozo, experienced
Argentines Pablo Aimar and Javier Saviola and bright prospects for the
future in Franco Jara and Eduardo Salvio.

Salvio is hoping to
collect a winner’s medal for the second year running, having been part
of the Atletico Madrid squad that lifted the trophy last year.

“I had a wonderful
experience in the Europa League with Atletico. Now I am feeling the
same with Benfica,” said the 20-year-old whose team take a 2-1 lead to
Paris St Germain after goals from Uruguayan Maxi Pereira and Franco
Jara.

“I think we can
score in France … we all know it will be a very difficult game but we
have very good, experienced players who can help us through.”
Liverpool’s Brazilian midfielder Lucas is another Europa League fan.

“For me it’s a big competition,” he said.

“Maybe some people
don’t give this competition too much importance but in Brazil the
Europa League is very important for everyone.

“I am looking forward to getting through to the next stage and why not dream of the title?,” Lucas added.

“Unfortunately I
still don’t have medals but when you come to Liverpool you come to win
trophies and that’s the way you have to always think. When you retire
all you have are the good clubs you have played for and the trophies
you have won.” In other ties, big-spending Manchester City will try and
claw back a 2-0 deficit at home to Dynamo Kiev while Twente Enschede
take a 3-0 lead to 2008 champions Zenit St Petersburg, the third
surviving Russian team.

Rangers also host Dutch league leaders PSV Eindhoven after a goalless first leg.

On
Tuesday practically the entire football community in Nigeria converged
on Portharcourt, Rivers State for the Africa Independent Television
(AIT) Football Awards.

For me it was a momentous occasion made even more remarkable for the professional manner the show was organised.

Not in a long while had I seen in one place football personalities like I witnessed at the awards.

As I scanned some
of the faces at the event – Adokiye Amiesimaka, Jonathan Ogunfere,
Sunny Badru, Mitchell Obi, Isidoreh Oduah, Fabio Olanipekun, Mumini
Alao, Paul Bassey and a host of other ageing and dynamic young and
progressive sports administrators and journalists, I couldn’t help but
wonder how Nigerian football came to this sad pass that it presently is
in.

How can we have
such a wealth of human capital, individuals knowledgeable about the
game and with a burning passion to boot and have Nigerian Nigeria
football prostrate at the valley of mediocrity? How did the charlatans
who presently superintend the game manage to find their way to the
‘Glass House’?

Anyway, this piece
is not about them but about the significance of the AIT Awards and how
it can help in rejuvenating the game despite the shenanigans of its
administrators.

Apart from seeing
the ‘Golden Oldies’ of Nigerian football, the awards also afforded me
the opportunity to interact with the young generation of talent
represented by members of the Super Falcons who turned up for the
event. Clearly, the players were over the moon to be invited to the
event. Looking at them from a distance you could even sense it from
their body language.

The beauty of the
awards for me lies in the fact that a time we are facing what seems
like an interregnum in the administration of football in Nigeria, a
period when the players who are the raison d’être of football
administration are largely ignored by both the football federation and
Nigeria Premier League (NPL), a media organisation is taking the lead
in recognising the toil of footballers whose means of livelihood is
being endangered by a few heartless individuals.

Inspiring our youngsters

While the main
award, the Footballer of the Year Award presented to Vincent Enyeama is
important, the most important award of the night for me was that of the
Young Player of the Year won by Kenneth Kumbur. At a time many Nigerian
youngsters think of heading to Europe as soon as they can learn how to
pass the ball, the award will encourage a lot of them to concentrate on
building football careers here, a development that will help restore
vitality to the Nigerian league.

In the same vein
will the award of Footballer of the Year (National) inspire our premier
league players to excel knowing that the knocks they receive on a
weekly basis would not be in vain.

I congratulate AIT
for the initiative. With continued diligence and hard work, the award
may one day become a reference point beyond our shores. For the Nigeria
Football Federation (NFF), the award should be a wakeup call.
Thankfully, its President, Aminu Maigari, was at the awards and soaked
in every detail. He even made some comments about how the award can
encourage players to excel. It is all very well to mouth platitudes,
the question is, how does Maigari and his colleagues in the board of
the NFF hope to pull the game up from its bootstraps? What magic wand
do they have to re-invent the game in Nigeria after years of maul from
the buccaneers who have administered in the last few years?

I salute AIT for
their effort and hope that they sustain the awards. Clearly, to pull
off an event of that magnitude required great sacrifice and
circumspection on the part of all-from Aisha Falode who worked round
the clock to ensure that there was seamless transition of events the
moment guests started arriving Portharcourt, to Paul Bassey and his
team of selectors for the awards.

One advice I have for them is to consider instituting an award for meritorious service to Nigerian football.

There are a lot of former footballers and administrators alive who
deserve this award for their contributions to the development of the
game. Men like Badru, Ogunfere, John Ojidoh, Mahmoud Kadiri, Linus
Mbah, Christian Chukwu, Segun Odegbami, Emmanuel Okala, to name a few
of them, need to be appreciated for their inputs into the game.