Former AC Milan technical director, Paolo Maldini, has labeled the €30m the Rossoneri spent on Samuel Chukwueze as a waste of fund, Saturday PUNCH reports.

Chukwueze joined Milan from Villarreal in a five year deal that saw the Nigerian become the club’s most expensive signing in the summer.

Maldini who opened up about his dismissal from Milan on June 5, reflected on his time as a director at the club in an interview with Italian daily, La Repubblica on Friday said the 24-year-old has failed to justify his huge transfer fee.

The Nigeria international scored 13 times last season for Villarreal and made 11 assists in all competitions last season but has only one goal and an assist to his name in 12 games for AC Milan.

The Rossoneri legend who brought in various key players during his time in the role, including Theo Hernandez, Rafael Leao, Mike Maignan and Fikayo Tomori. He and his collaborator Frederic Massara won the Sporting Director of the Year award at the 2022 Globe Soccer Awards.

“There was no need to sign Loftus-Cheek, Pulisic and Chukwueze,” Maldini said.

“You cannot compare the previous four transfer windows to the last one. Milan had different quality options unlike this summer.

“I would like to point out that all the players who arrived were approved by me, nothing or no-one was ever imposed on me, also because I would’ve left the next day.

The signing of Zlatan, in his time, required several meetings.”

Chukwueze is expected to keep his place in Milan’s starting line up when they face Frosinone on Saturday (today).

[Punch]

….Adeboye ordered the security operatives not to allow anyone who dressed indecently into the Redemption Camp to preserve its sanctity.

….. No more Skimpy dresses from ladies 

Pastor Enoch Adeboye, the General Overseer of The Redeemed Christian Church of God, has disclosed that strict measures would be implemented to tackle indecent dressing at Redemption camp.

The latest development was contained in a memo issued by an assistant to the General Overseer, Oladele Balogun.

Adeboye ordered the security operatives not to allow anyone who dressed indecently into the Redemption Camp to preserve its sanctity.

The memo read, “We wish to formally inform all residents of Redemption City that, in our commitment to preserving the city’s sanctity and upholding its esteemed ‘Holy City’ status, the mission authority is implementing stricter measures against indecent dressing throughout the city.

“The security operatives and Kingsford Security are hereby further directed not to allow anyone who dresses indecently to enter the Redemption City forthwith. Thank you for your continued cooperation and support.”

[Newspot]

When you drive past the National Stadium in Lagos, you don’t know what to make of it.

Has it been completely abandoned? Is it now home for destitutes? Or is it a meeting point for promising athletes making use of what is left to achieve their dreams?

The stadium has not functioned effectively for over 15 years due to poor maintenance of the facilities.

In April this year, Sunday Dare, who served as Minister of Sports under Muhammadu Buhari, ordered the temporary closure of the stadium.

This came after the collapse of one of the giant floodlights at the facility.

The floodlights pillar caved in from the middle, following a windstorm.

More worryingly perhaps, Dare also revealed that a large percentage of the stands were in a precarious state and could crumble as well.

The current Sports Development Minister, John Owan-Enoh, has also indicated that the Federal Government might pull it down to rebuild and bring it to a functional state.

Owan-Enoh, who had earlier said he would go ahead with the planned concession of the facility, noted that the government would only take the path that would breathe life into the nearly moribund edifice.

Would it be a wise decision amid the current economic crunch?

“Oh sure. It’s an old structure, with archaic architecture, best to build a modern stadium that will serve generations,” Latifat Adebayo-Ohio, a reporter at Making of Champions, tells DAILY POST.

“Also the last cost of remodelling the structure was unrealistic.

“No (other) options as far as I’m concerned. Build a modern stadium.”

What about the proximity of Lagos National Stadium to the Teslim Balogun Stadium, which has in fact hosted recent matches?

“National Stadium Lagos is historical,” Adebayo-Ohio insists.

“(The Lagos) State government will maintain Teslim Balogun Stadium, as it is a state-owned stadium.”

Wale Agbede, the Head of Sports at Plus TV, had earlier disagreed with rebuilding the Lagos National Stadium.

He told DAILY POST: “It is clear that from every action that has been taken from successive governments and everyone that has been in charge of sports in Nigeria, that they will not pay the kind of attention needed to that stadium.

“Neither will they put in the investment that is required for the stadium to be brought back to life.

“And quite frankly, if you look at the amount of work that the Lagos State government has put into the stadium that is just opposite- the Teslim Balogun Stadium, I don’t think the National Stadium is anymore necessary.

“I understand the emotional attachment. A lot of people grew up watching the Green Eagles.

“But I think that place with its location in the heart of Lagos, that place is a prized asset and it is wasting away.

“If there’s a private investor that has a solid plan that could bring profit to the government and will help the immediate community in Surulere, I am absolutely in favour of it.

“I think the stadium should be pulled down if possible. Look at what Arsenal did with Highbury. A large section of it was converted into a very big shopping plaza with offices and businesses and they are still making money even though they moved to the Emirates.

“I think that asset should be converted. Because if you give to a private institution, what do they stand to benefit? Any team that wants to play there, maybe the Super Eagles, could as well use the Teslim Balogun Stadium.

“If the Lagos State government continues to maintain the Teslim Balogun Stadium, there is no need for duplicity.

“If the Super Eagles have to absolutely adopt a national stadium, it should be the one in Abuja. Revamp it. If it has to be Lagos, then there’s a stadium around the corner. Use that one.”

[DFailyPost]

Last Thursday, purely out of curiosity and the unusual invitation I received from Augustine Eguavoen, former captain as well as former Manager of the Super Eagles, for whom I have a lot of respect, I attended a Nigeria Football Federation program for the first time in ages.

The invitation aroused my curiosity.

FIFA is promoting and funding a new development program targeted at the global grassroots. It involves supporting Member Associations to identify, educate and train young football talents, and nurture them to become the best. This automatically means proper involvement of schools and football academies in the country’s football development agenda and architecture.

It was all sweet music to my ears. I dropped everything I was doing and headed to Abuja for the one-day workshop. I am glad I did.

Air Peace Ambassador

I had not been to Abuja for a while. This was my second trip only, and my second opportunity since July 28th 2023, experience, first-hand, travelling as an Air Peace Ambassador. On July 28th 2023, Dr. Allen Onyema, Chairman of the biggest airline in Nigeria presently, and one of the fastest growing on the African continent, Air Peace, celebrated, honoured and decorated a group of forgotten national sports heroes. He made them Air Peace Ambassadors with the unprecedented benefits of flying to any destination in Nigeria without any limitation for the rest of their lives. There is also the additional privilege of doing so in style by flying in Business Class whenever a vacant seat is available. Such generosity has never been seen in history! My American friends, world-renowned athletes, find it hard to believe that any such reward was possible. That’s the magnitude of Allen Onyema’s humanity, patriotism, and generosity.

Last Thursday morning, I had the opportunity of a ‘taste’ of it. It was an absolute treat. Now I understand why a few of my colleagues will not stop harassing me about wishing to see Allen personally to thank him, and to make him understand how much he has touched and even changed their lives for good, forever, with his uncommon munificence.

I was amply reminded about all of these things last Thursday as I booked a seat, took the early morning flight out into Abuja, and returned on Friday morning, also on the first flight out. My experience is only be better imagined.

In summary, both flights, in an almost brand-new aircraft, were great experiences – the ease of booking the flights, the friendly reception at the desks, the elevating courtesies on board, the timely departures and the smooth flights. It was all a dream!

I know it will not always be so for every passenger and on all flights. Yet, our responsibility as beneficiaries is to continue to acknowledge and to testify to the uncommon and unprecedented gifts that have changed the lives of the surviving members of the 1976 Olympic contingent, as well as the 1980 AFCON football winners.

On Saturday, December 2, 2023, some members of those teams will join me on “90 minutes with Mathematical7” on Eagle7 Sports Radio, to share our experiences. Have all the pledges made to them been redeemed? Are they truly enjoying free-flights around Nigeria?

Now, back to the primary reason for my going to Abuja.

FIFA and Nigerian grassroots Football

FIFA is driving a new football development program called FIFA Talent Development Scheme. The program gives every boy and girl an opportunity and space to play football, the most gifted to be discovered and to be trained to become elite players, and subsequently made to play more often and at higher levels enough to prepare them for the highest levels of football, particularly, in their national teams.

This means focusing on young players between the ages of 11 and 16 in all Member Association countries; introducing new FIFA competitions deliberately designed to impact football at grassroots levels; involving stakeholders through their national federations by playing a role in this grand vision; developing training programs to improve the human capacity to drive the entire project; and provide the essential funding, expert guidance and supervision for the project to succeed.

Two technical experts from FIFA came to Abuja to explain the details of the project, guide stakeholders into playing a role and how to partner with FIFA through their national federation in the implementation process. The assembly of stakeholders were from academies, clubs, state football associations, schools sports, the NIS, and so on.

The event went well enough. I was surprised about the large turnout of grassroots stakeholders from different parts of Nigeria, particularly the owners of academies mushrooming in every cranny, the largest constituency in Nigerian football today.

The main highlights are that the academies must meet certain criteria to be set, in order to be officially registered with the Football Federation to enjoy the benefits of being in the FIFA family. FIFA is creating more competitions for the youths. The Under-17 Championship shall become an annual event with an increase in the number of participating countries. There is also an increase in women’s competitions.

Austin Eguavoen presented the assembly with an ambitious vision for grassroots football in Nigeria, setting the standards and targets at every level to be achieved by 2027.

It was all very interesting. If properly implemented, I believe it will fill the missing gaps in Nigeria’s transition from juniors to seniors.

I can’t wait to observe the outcomes, of this very laudable program, on paper.

Special time with diplomats

Shortly after the FIFA program I decided to honour my friend, the Director-General of the Nigerian Council for Arts and Culture, NCAC, Otunba Olusegun Runsewe, who was officially re-opening the re-furbished Arts and Culture Centre in Abuja. He had invited me to the ceremony targeted at the diplomatic committee in Abuja.

It turned out to be a good outing for me, particularly in my role as Head of the Sports Diplomacy Unit of the Nigeria Institute of International Affairs, NIIA.

About 16 Ambassadors turned up, plus several lesser officers from various other embassies.

An opportunity came for me to pass on a remark, and trust me, I went into reminiscences, recalling my experiences in some of the countries whose ambassadors were physically present.

I recalled how, in 1973, I played my first international match against the national team of the Central African Republic, and scored my first international goal. The Ambassador was pleasantly shocked at the revelation.

To the excitement of the Cameroonian Ambassador, I recalled my first international football trophy. It was a confrontation with the legendary Roger Milla, Africa’s best player at the time, and captain of Tonnerre Kalala FC. We won and I was a scorers again.

I recalled the trip of the Green Eagles to Varna for camping on our way to the All-Africa Games in Algiers in 1978; how driving down one of the major highways we saw an exact replica of the National Theatre in Iganmu, Lagos, in the Bulgarian city. It was an eerie experience. The Ambassador was relieved as I did not recall Nigeria’s trouncing of Bulgaria in the 1994 World Cup. We have become friends.

I recalled the Green Eagles’ visit to China, the first Black and African national team in the world to play across several cities in China. The China Ambassador was mesmerized.

My message to the American and Jamaican Ambassadors was about Nigeria’s mission to conquer the world through deployment of soft power diplomatic tools. Nigeria’s music has taken over the world. Nigerian films and sports are on the warpath.

Arts and Culture will soon join them, and together, Nigeria, with some of the smartest people on earth, will soon rule the world by using soft tools.

I must have left many of the Ambassadors basking in the brief moments of history of past relationship with Nigeria that they may not know existed, at the new Arts and Culture Centre in Abuja.