The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has applauded the United States embassy in Nigeria for the quick and positive response granted to players and officials of the Under-23 National Team of Nigeria at the embassy.
Protocol officials of the NFF had approached the mission for entry visas into the US for the U23 squad, as Coach Samson Siasia picked Atlanta, USA for his final training camp ahead of this year’s Olympics.
NFF General Secretary, Mohammed Sanusi, said: “We want to express appreciation to the US embassy for their understanding and co-operation. The NFF is particularly delighted with their quick response and the fact that all the players and officials that we took to the embassy were issued with visas.”
Nigeria’s U23 squad, winners of the Olympic men’s football gold in 1996, will train in the capital of the State of Georgia for one month before flying to Rio de Janeiro, where the team will put up base for the men’s football tournament of the 31st Olympiad.
Nigeria will play Group B against Sweden, Colombia and Japan at the Olympics.
Meanwhile, the Referees Committee of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has retired Referee Abiodun Alaba of Ogun State with immediate effect.
After its meeting in Abuja on Wednesday, during which it routinely reviewed the performance of all referees in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) matches in the past two months, the committee said it was taking the decision as a result of Alaba’s flagrant mismanagement of matches.
“Referee Abiodun Alaba lost absolute control of the NPFL Match No. 223 between MFM FC [Lagos] and Shooting Stars of Ibadan played at the Agege Stadium, Lagos on Sunday, 19 June 2016. He was not able to manage several frustrating antics of players during the match in spite of the helpful support from his assistant referees.
“The Committee recalled that Referee Abiodun Alaba was suspended last season from active refereeing for similar lapses. Since it had become obvious that he is not able to take full advantage of the opportunities offered by the Federation to improve on his art of refereeing in the past one year, the NFF Referees Committee has decided to retire him from active football refereeing with immediate effect,” the statement read.