The present NFF administration is sparing no effort or resource in enhancing the capacity of referees and coaches because these are the areas through which sustainable football culture and development can be fast-tracked, says NFF President Amaju Pinnick.

Pinnick said in Abuja on Tuesday, while receiving a delegation from the Plateau State Ministry of Sports and Social Development, that Nigerian coaches must be abreast of modern trends and be conversant with the technology for match analysis before they can take the National Teams to a new level, while the referees must physically witness how it is done in model societies before they can appreciate the value of integrity in doing their job.

“The positive change you are seeing now, including several teams winning on away ground, is the result of investment in refereeing capacity -building. We also took about 20 coaches to England to see how things are done, and we have gone a step further to buy into the all-inclusive Prozone software for match analysis that will make life better for the coaches and give us better results on the international front.”

The delegation, led by Plateau State Commissioner for Sports, Mr. Lorenzo Gotau, also included Julius Shinkur (permanent secretary), Stephen Dayok, Joel Angai and Simon Moven (directors), G. L. Dapar (director of sports), Bitrus Bewarang (GM, Plateau United) and Yakubu Dalyop (secretary, Plateau FA).

“We have immense respect for what Plateau State has achieved in Nigeria football and sports generally. The new Director General of National Sports Commission (Mr. Alhassan Yakmut) is from Plateau State, and we can neither forget the contributions of someone like Coach Bitrus Bewarang to Nigeria football, nor the investment of Ambassador Chris Giwa through his high-riding Giwa FC,” Pinnick added.

Gotau thanked the NFF President and stated that the whole of Plateau State has absolute confidence in the ability of Pinnick and his administration to take Nigeria football to new heights, as already being witnessed in the big improvements in the domestic League. He also praised the NFF Executive Committee for appointing Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, “a very seasoned and experienced administrator,” as General Secretary.

Author: NFF Admin