In a communique signed and released by Chairman of PFAN Board of Trustees, Comrade Harrison Jalla, the President of the Professional Footballers Association of Nigeria (PFAN), Comrade Tijani Babangida (MON), has been nominated by the PFAN Board of Trustees (BOT) to represent the association on the National Sports Commission (NSC) Board.

This nomination, according to PFAN, aligns with Section 2 of the National Sports Commission (Establishment) Act 2023.

At a meeting held on Saturday, 23rd November 2024, the PFAN BOT, made two significant decisions:

1. Extension of Leadership Tenure: The BOT unanimously agreed to extend the tenure of the Tijani Babangida led Executive Council.

2. NSC Board Representation: Tijani Babangida was chosen as the PFAN representative on the National Sports Commission Board.

These decisions are, however, subject to ratification by the PFAN Congress.

The BOT also advised the PFAN Executive Council, to reach out to aggrieved members and unify the players’ union under one umbrella, in line with the standard practice in other countries.

It also deliberated about the ongoing efforts and legal challenges. The PFAN BOT emphasized that the next critical phase involves securing representation on the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Board, Congress, and Sub-Committees. These slots, are currently subject to the ongoing case at the Federal High Court in Abuja, which seeks equal and proportional representation.

The BOT also assured stakeholders that representation on the NFF Board, would strictly be based on merit.

The President of Nigeria Football Federation, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau, as well as Chairman of the NFF Women’s Football Committee, Ms Aisha Falode and the General Secretary, Dr Mohammed Sanusi will be in the stands to cheer the Super Falcons in Saturday’s international friendly match against the Les Bleues of France in Angers.

The match comes up inside the 18,000 -capacity Stade Raymond Kopa – home ground of Ligue 1 side Angers SCO, and which was opened in 1912 and renovated seven years ago.

Madugu and his charges are set to have the official training session at the match venue on Friday evening, with the Coach robbed of a defender following injury to Turkey-based dependable centre-back Oluwatosin Demehin.

Both teams last clashed nearly five-and-half years ago, when the Super Falcons needed a result to progress to the Round of 16 at the FIFA Women’s World Cup finals. Hosts France edged the tie by the odd goal, after Wendie Renard’s twice-taken penalty kick with 11 minutes left on the clock. The defeat notwithstanding, the Super Falcons made the Round of 16 as results in another pool weighed in their favour, while France finished top of their group with the maximum nine points from three matches.

On Saturday night, Madugu will have to decide which of England-based Rofiat Imuran and home-girl Sikiratu Isah will pair veteran Osinachi Ohale at the heart of the defence, with Michelle Alozie and returning Ashley Plumptre expected to man the wing-back positions. Madugu may also decide to use another home-girl, Shukurat Oladipo in her accustomed centre-back position.

Portugal-based Christy Ucheibe, England-based Toni Payne and France-based Jennifer Echegini (who scored Nigeria’s only goal at the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament in France this summer) are available in the middle, alongside home-based professionals Adoo Yina and Josephine Mathias.

At the fore, with Captain Rasheedat Ajibade also not in Angers as a result of injury, much will be expected of the Spain-based duo of Gift Monday and Rinsola Babajide, with home -girl Mercy Omokwo, as well as Egypt-based Blessing Nkor and France-based Ifeoma Onumonu, also available.

Nigeria’s Super Eagles experienced a significant setback in the latest FIFA rankings released on Thursday, suffering the biggest drop of any national team.

This decline follows a disappointing performance in the November Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, where they managed only a draw against Benin and suffered a surprising home loss to Rwanda.

The Super Eagles suffered a significant drop in the latest FIFA World Rankings, released on Thursday. They fell to 44th position, an eight-place decline from their previous ranking of 36th, the largest drop globally for this period.

The decline is attributed to the team’s underwhelming performance in their final qualifiers for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. During this ranking window, Nigeria drew 1-1 with the Benin Republic in Abidjan and lost 2-1 to Rwanda at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo.

The Super Eagles have struggled to regain their footing, having dropped eight places to 38th in June. Despite marginal gains, the team’s recent string of uninspiring results has led to this substantial drop.

Historically, the Super Eagles debuted at 13th when FIFA first introduced its rankings in December 1992. The team achieved its highest-ever ranking of No. 5 in April 1994, following their Africa Cup of Nations victory, which preceded their first World Cup appearance.

After being eliminated by Italy in the World Cup’s second round, the team fell to No. 10.

Notably, the Super Eagles have occupied top-10 spots, including No. 5 on 19 April 1994, No. 7 on 17 May 1994, and No. 9 on 22 November 2006.

Conversely, their lowest ranking occurred in November 1999, when they plummeted to No. 82.

In the current African rankings, Morocco remains the continent’s top football nation, despite dropping one spot to 14th globally. The Atlas Lions boast 1688.18 points, surpassing their October total of 1681.57.

Africa’s top-ranked teams include Senegal, Egypt, Algeria, Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire, and Cameroon. Globally, the top 10 teams in the FIFA rankings are Argentina, France, Spain, England, Brazil, Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, and Germany.

With the last FIFA rankings for 2024 billed to be released on 14 December, there is little hope of Nigeria moving up as the Eagles are inactive for the rest of the year.

The Super Eagles’ decline underscores the need for improvement ahead of their World Cup qualifiers, which are scheduled to resume in March 2025.

AllAfricaNews