Sports Parliament with Kdo – Sept 30th 2024
With an acre of space to cover regarding preparations and planning for the Fifa World Cup in the Americas in 2026, the leadership of Nigeria football, must meet all the yearnings of soccer/ football loving Nigerians regarding Afcon 2025, and Fifa World Cup a year after .
The leaders must truly support football, and not themselves, like someone told me on the airplane while I was an official assignment, that , “Trump only cares and supports himself, nobody else” .
The elderly man was an ex – US service person, who is white, with experience in global security functioning, and now wants Kamala Harris to win the Nov 2024 presidential election, “with a collective and inclusive support of all persons of color”, while hitting hard on the “voters who are un – decided”, but leaning more on “Kamala Harris than troubled Trump, who thinks immigrants steal, eat cats and dogs, as well as taking all retirement options from from pure Americans” .
One wonders who the pure Americans are !
He also thinks that the “US soccer players will play for podium performance for Kamala Harris, pre 2026 and more”as he also engaged writer about how the Africans are preparing, now that Brazil is struggling with its old performance index . He must have assumed that only Brazil can dim the African lights when it comes to soccer .
What a good personal rating that one hopes African leaders, and African football administrators will catch up on and go the nine yards with their preparations, and not wait for the usual fire brigade approach with international competitions.
I was humbled by his submissions as the airplane dived into the blue sky and over the Atlantic ocean for our destination.
Standing on his reminders of what Africans can do, I was pinched to let loose some of the things being done regarding preparations in a familiar clime as it were.
Hear these.
Two years away, this is what the USA is doing- the USA – because, Nigeria is not too far behind from the pace of soccer of the USA.
Stadia are been upgraded and all security arrangements and architecture been tested , and potential stimulations for threats rehashed as special forces that are event of that nature appropriate are said to be in place .
A near world class coach has been hired, and work seems deepening for good outcomes. Hear the new coach , who understands the dynamics of cultural input in building a near new team for the almighty United States with its immigrant population and potentials that cannot be dismissed readily.
The coach himself an immigrant, if you will given that the USA has given him a chance that Argentina, him home country, has not given hope to black players over years in the national teams like other countries in South America.
He will bring his European work ethics and finesse to a team that must perform with it matters given the renewed vision , vigor and passion the immigrants have downloaded to others about soccer .
With tons of money in the pipelines for the World Cup, a peaceful land when guns are unguned, decorum occurs , having a successful election in November, 2024 is a sin qua non .
But when a key political figure is almost “taken out”twice in less than 90 days, such attempts should be seen as a serious crisis in the realm of political violence in the most developed democracy in the world, and the example it’s presents to other nations like Nigeria, and other African nations with on going unresolved political challenges that could make people- citizens- go gaga, and want heads of government out, and culled, there then lies a serious problem that the world must not pay lip service to .
If trump had been taken out, it would have made the world and America to reminisce of 1968 when political unrest , rhythms and rhetorics define the political space of America.
Let the world leaders therefore make the world not to be on edge as 2025 approaches.
Will use the next few lines on this train of Sports Parliament to tap into an individual that has been variously recognized and respected in the space of Nigerian Football. Name it, pre and post Independence football , he’s around, able , and as “one of the few standing with un compromised football pedigree”.
Meet Pa Arthur Kwame ! An apostle of developmental football than competition driven officials, who are at best, destroyers and desperadoes .
In wise climes he’s imminently qualified as a National Reference Point when complex issues of football arise . In our clime, it’s always complicated issues at baseline . Therefore, football bodies must always go to Pa Arthur for football guidance, and wisdom for outstanding outcomes.
He was however audacious enough to provide the details below during a chat with this Sports Parliamentarian after many attempts given that he doesn’t want to be soiled in Nigeria’s nasty way of running football. Lagos State Football Association tapped into my head, and did this just before this piece went to bed .
See and hear part of it. Thanks to Lagos State.
Eko o ni Baje despite the current financial strains everywhere, including Lagos.
Mr. Kwame Arthur Lagos.
INVITATION TO THE LAGOS STATE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION ANNUAL GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Iwrite to express the warm sporting regards of the Board and Staff of Lagos State Football Association to you.
The Lagos State Football Association (LSFA) writes to inform you that the Board will be holding its Annual General Assembly (AGA) scheduled for September 2024, at Molade Okoya Thomas Indoor Sports Hall, Teslim Balogun Stadium Surulere.
On behalf of the Chairman and the Board of LSFA, I respectfully write to invite you a Special Guest of Honour at the AGA and Stakeholders meeting scheduled as above.
We would be grateful for your presence at the AGA/Stakeholders meeting, and we are thankful for your usual cooperation and support towards continuous growth of football in our dear State.
I am absolutely confident that the unassuming teacher will press on the understanding and uniqueness of the diagram below, at the event, which alone, is enough for our Sports administrators in general, and soccer magicians specifically, to rethink and plan well to reap better results, and outcomes with less to zero opportunistic interventions.
When we say Sports is the largest of the Creative Industries, Film, Music and Entertainment people will not agree!
The facts tell the story as indicated above .
As Match Day Three hostilities in the 2024/2025 Nigeria Premier Football League began, some away wins happened without any reports that referees and match officials were beaten .Rivers United beat Lobi Stars by a lone goal at the Lafia City Stadium.
Finidi George of Rivers United extended his unbeaten run to three matches since he took charge of the side. Also, El-Kanemi Warriors defeated Nasarawa United in a seven-goal thriller in the second game of the day at the Lafia City Stadium.
Let us see what the other clearly driven coaches in the NPFL will show current, or the new Super Eagles coach , and potential call ups to the Super Eagles fold .
Good one in the pipeline on Sports Journalism and Arbitration by Kano SWAN .
Knowledge is Power Folks .
……. And Up Lafia Stadium.
