By Kola Daniel

The newly appointed chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Shehu Dikko, paid a courtesy visit on Monday to the Honourable Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun.

During the meeting, Dikko and Edun discussed a range of initiatives focused on developing a sustainable sports economy in Nigeria, aligning with the strategic reform objectives of the NSC as directed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Dikko emphasized the importance of sports as a viable economic driver and explored how to better harness Nigeria’s vast potential in the sector.

“We aim to transform Nigerian sports into a sustainable economic force,” he stated, adding that initiatives are in place to bring Nigerian sports up to international standards and attract greater investment.

The discussions are part of Dikko’s ongoing efforts to lay a solid foundation for Nigeria’s sports economy, leveraging partnerships with key government agencies and stakeholders.

The Disciplinary Committee of the Confederation of African Football has awarded the Super Eagles of Nigeria three points and three goals in their abandoned matchday 4, 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Libya, which was scheduled to be held in Benina on 15 October.

In its ruling on Saturday, signed by chairman Ousmane Kane, the Disciplinary Board determined that the Libyan Football Federation was in breach of Article 31 of the Africa Cup of Nations Regulations and Articles 82 and 151 of the CAF Disciplinary Code.

“The Libyan Football Federation is found to have breached Article 31 of the Africa Cup of Nations Regulations, as well as Articles 82 and 151 of the CAF Disciplinary Code.

“The match No. 87, Libya v Nigeria, of the CAF Africa Cup of Nations Qualifiers 2025 (scheduled to be played on 15 October 2024 in Benghazi), is declared lost by forfeit by Libya (with a record of 3-0),” the ruling read in part.

The LFF was also ordered to pay a fine of USD 50,000, with payment due within 60 days of notification of the present decision.

The outcome of the Disciplinary Committee means that Nigeria is close to qualifying for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, with two matches to spare.

As a result, the Super Eagles are now on 10 points from four matches, four points ahead of second-placed Benin Republic, while Rwanda has five points. Bottom-placed Libya has only one point and is out of the running for qualification.

A win or draw against the Cheetahs of Benin Republic in Abidjan on Thursday, 14 November (a matchday 5 encounter) will secure the Super Eagles a ticket to the finals in Morocco, scheduled for December 2025/January 2026.

The Nigerian team had boycotted the match citing safety concerns, after being left stranded at the remote Al-Abraq airport on the outskirts of Benghazi for over 22 hours.

The LFF, in response, accused the Nigeria Football Federation of not cooperating with it regarding the travel itinerary.

It also alleged that the Libyan national team had suffered the same fate in Nigeria during the reverse fixture a week earlier, claiming the team was left stranded at the Port Harcourt Airport by Nigerian authorities.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced a significant financial turnaround, reducing its deficit from $28.9 million to $9.2 million in the 2022-2023 fiscal year.

This was disclosed during the 46th CAF Ordinary Assembly, chaired by CAF President Dr. Patrice Motsepe, held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The financial progress marks a major improvement compared to the previous year when CAF reported a deficit of $45 million.

This positive trend is largely attributed to strategic reforms initiated by the CAF management in 2021, aimed at strengthening the organization’s financial health.

CAF has also projected a net profit of $11.7 million for the 2024-2025 fiscal year, signalling the first time in years that the governing body anticipates a financial surplus.

This surplus is expected to further enhance CAF’s ability to invest in the development of African football at all levels.

Key drivers of the improved financial performance include increased revenue from media rights and sponsorship deals related to CAF competitions.

This revenue growth has enabled the organization to increase financial support to its Member Associations, doubling annual subventions from $200,000 in 2021 to $400,000 in 2024-2025.

CAF has also committed 84% of its expenditure toward African football development, emphasising prize money, competition organization, and football development programs.

The financial stability achieved is expected to further propel the growth and development of the sport across the continent.