The leadership of Nigeria Football Federation and that of the Iraqi Football Association will interface and cross-fertilize sometime next month with a view to exploring avenues for greater cooperation and collaboration in the football sphere.
Speaking in Abuja on Wednesday, during a courtesy visit to the Ambassador of Iraq to Nigeria, His Excellency Mr. Anwer Saeed, President of the NFF, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau expressed the keen desire of the NFF to collaborate with countries with pedigree in the game to ensure real growth for the Nigeria game from the grassroots.
“Our country has a solid pedigree in the game of football as well as over 200 million passionate football followers and stakeholders. We are aware of the fact that the people of Iraq are also very passionate about the game of football. It is important to seize the opportunity to explore areas of cooperation and collaboration that will benefit our two nations.
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“Football is that big unifying factor that keeps getting bigger and stronger in holding the world together and assuming a greater role in international relations. It is also a soft power with a booming economy, and collaboration is needed to accomplish great things and attain higher levels.”
Iraq’s senior men team, nicknamed the Lions of Mesopotamia, won the Asian Cup in 2007 and have won the Arab Cup four times, and the country of 44 million people is known for its passion and high-decibel support for its football teams and clubs.
Responding, His Excellency Saeed congratulated the NFF President on his victory in the elections and assured him that the Iraqi Football Association would be delighted by the offer to explore ways of greater collaboration, given Nigeria’s accomplishments in the game globally. He also mentioned the fact that a number of Nigerian footballers are presently plying their trade in the Iraqi league.
Also on the courtesy visit were the NFF General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi; Director of Communications, Ademola Olajire; Director of Competitions, Ruth David; Chief Protocol Officer, Emmanuel Ayanbunmi and; special assistant to NFF President, Abubakar Barde. Mr. Ibrahim Al-Badri (Consul/Administrative Manager) and Mrs Sakina Al-Khalifa (Secretary to Head of Mission) were with HE Saeed.
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COMMENTS
Nigeria is fast becoming a Sharia State. Is this the kind of partnership we should be entering?
The oil company sponsoring Iraq league initiated the move.
Details later
One step front and ten steps back u no see Germany,Italy or Spain
This country too de jonzes
“President of the NFF, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau expressed the keen desire of the NFF to collaborate with countries with pedigree in the game to ensure real growth for the Nigeria game from the grassroots.”
I beg una one question:
What pedigree does Iraq have in football? One world cup appearance in 1986, last in group and crashed out in the group stage.
They have been banned from competing more times than they have trophies. One Asia cup in 2007 and been banned from competing 7 times between 1980 and 2022.
Is this who we need to court as a bi-lateral partner?
I was just about asking same…!
Just when we thought the NFF was about to get better after Pinnick and Sunday Dare.
@Drey,
This looks to me like a “frying pan to fire” scenario.
Pinnick was upset at the loss of the world cup ticket and it’s effect on Nigeria’s bi-lateral relationship with Qatar, now the new NFF president is going into one with Iraq.
Nigeria is now courting countries in the backwaters of football. Somehow, I am thinking we will miss the next world cup as well with the direction we are headed
Hmmmm
This so called bilateral relationship should be used as one of the avenues to prepare the Under23s for their Afcon next year and hopefully for the 2024 Olympics men football. It should also be used as an outlet to prepare the Super Falcons for the World Cup next year.
Admittedly Nigeria is currently not scheduled to play a Middle Eastern team for any of these Nigeria national teams. But as practice matches to try out players, tactics and formation, matches that spawn out of this bilateral whatever can be quite useful.
See how EGUAVEON and HIM FOLLOWERS don bring our FOOTBALL so LOW sotey now na IRAQ dey come PARTNER with us…
If na BOMB we wan MANUFACTURE, I go welcome the PARTNERSHIP..
But FOOTBALL?
SMH…
BRAZIL no dey?(NO1 in the GAME)
ENGLAND wey INVENT the GAME no dey?
CHAI! Na wa o….
THANK you my BROTHER ABDUL.You DESERVE some BANGER/KNOCK OUT(FIRE WORKS) for this PERFECT REPLY so you can BLOW for this XMAS.PLEASE what is your HOME ADDRESS so I can WAYBILL them to you
Lol, I didn’t understand at first what was going one. Lol
If this is how it will go, we will forever miss Rohr era. So Iraq is now a country of football pedigree.
Well anyway let’s keep our fingers crossed. NFF should also know that Iraqi FA don’t owe coaches and back room staff even a month salary, and they don’t owe players match bonuses and entitlement.
E be like say this Gusau na bigger werey…Abi what type of bilateral is this? Iraq bawo, are we going to war?
Yea….you are a bigot…address the issue at hand and leave out someone’s tribe or religion…
THANK you my BROTHER ABDUL.You DESERVE some BANGER/KNOCK OUT(FIRE WORKS) for this PERFECT REPLY so you can BLOW for this XMAS.PLEASE what is your HOME ADDRESS so I can WAYBILL them to you
Lol I talk am,. Don’t ever entrust Hausa/Fulani Muslims with power they will abuse it. These guys are not stupid they’ve their own agenda, soon our jersey we ve Islamic symbols just like the naira. You guys knows me I don’t sugarcoat shit Nigeria will never attain is greatness with these barbarians sharing this country with us.Bilateral agreement with Irag in soccer to do what, to infuse bombs in our players booths, properly to teach them how to pray whenever they’re looking for goals.
I feel you SunnyB…. Of what benefit is this bilateral thing than to promote their Bokoharam agenda. These people will stop at nothing until they islamise everything Nigerian. Every minute, every hour and every day, Nigeria is sinking into the abyss…May the Lord help us…
Retrogression X3. Need I say anything more? Show me your friends and I can tell who you are.
_NFF’s Bilateral Bombshell!_
NFF president Alhaji Gusau paid a courtesy visit to the Iraqi embassy this week where he held a conversation with the country’s ambassador Mr. Anwer Saeed on forming closer collaboration and cooperation in football.
It is yet unknown what these ‘collaboration and cooperation’ will look like in practice, or if the initiative will ever see the light of day.
However, Nigeria fans have been quick to take to social media to denounce the very idea of the NFF chairman – who only recently took over from the forgettable administration of the controversial Amaju Pinnick – attempting to forge ties with a nation that is nothing to write home about in football.
Fans feel that a more headline grabbing collaboration attempts would have been with countries like Argentina, Brazil, France, South Korea or even Japan. And who would blame them, after all, to be the best, you have to play against the best.
But for me, I begrudgingly welcome this development. I believe half or quarter bread is better than none, after all, Iraq will not be the only country Nigeria will face in friendly matches even if the collaboration gets the green light from all parties.
If agreed, this so called bilateral relationship should be used as one of the avenues to prepare the Under23s for their Afcon next year and hopefully for the 2024 Olympics men football (should Nigeria qualify). It should also be used as one of the outlets to prepare the Super Falcons for the World Cup next year.
Admittedly, none of Nigeria’s national teams are currently scheduled to play a Middle Eastern team at any competitive level as far as I can see. But as practice matches to try out players, tactics, formations and to build team bonding and cohesion, matches that spawn out of this bilateral whatever can be quite useful.
Come to think of it, a win is a win, so should the Super Eagles repeat their 10:0 decapitation of São Tomé and Príncipe against Iraq in a friendly next year in front of home fans in Abuja, it will still nonetheless serve as a morale booster, regardless of the opposition!
this is quite funny. Talking about pedigree, so iraq has pedigree in football? May God help us in this country. We have a backward thinkers in the helms of affairs. I would rather collaborate with Morroco, Southafrica or Iran.
This is flaggerbasting, the conspiracy theorist here think it’s an Islamic agenda(there’s a point there and nothing more),the majority think it’s a backwards arrangement(yep it is unless Iraq wan use Nigeria grow their football) and a certain someone chose to see good side of it(even though he has doubts) I SAY IT’S A START OF SOMETHING (either successful or Failure).
Most of you guys on this platform are part of the problems bedeviling Nigerian football, you harass every retired footballer that dare step forward to run for any position in the management of football in Nigeria, let us not talk about seeking to coach any of our National teams, you call them unprintable names even when they make comments concerning our football. Many of you here have relentlessly rain abusive words on Chief Odegbami despite the fact that he has never run any aspect of our football. There was a time in this country when those that have destroyed our football ganged up against him and tagged him unqualified to run for the office of then NFA chairmanship, some years down the line they did allowed him to run but ended up humilating him at the polls, that was when the likes of a certain Lulu co started running our football.When Fashanu tried to run they also ganged up against him by lying that he refused to honor our call during his playing days and as such should not even think of coming here to manage our football, it was a lie but many on this platform then believed the lie and resorted to calling Fashanu unprintable names. The truth is that the gentleman answered our call twice and he was not used, i personally saw him on the bench during one of the matches but they succeeded in pushing him aside . Just look at where our football is today, the way forward is to support our retired footballers to manage our fooball from the grassroot to the highest level/NFF because football is all they know and we have a lot of them that played it to the highest level. If for instance the present NFF President travels to europe with Okocha for a football event all the cameras will be on Okocha if care is not taken some of the camera men will push NFF President aside in order to take a good shot of Okocha, unless Okocha quickly introduce him he will be at the background.
@Frank Smith, why won’t we attack Odegbami?
He saw Joseph yobo as the future messiah, we danced to his tone, where is Yobo now?
He wanted Rohr out, now! Rohr is out, are you happy now?
We never missed any tournament when Rohr was there until when our own was in the dugout.
Have we ever harassed Kanu?
What of Okocha?
Olofinjana? Emenalo? Ndubusi Egbo? Eddie John Ikem Newton?
We have footballers that worth it and will manage and coach our football successfully.
So @Frank Smith, if you are really hurt because we attacked former jobless players like Eguavoen, Yobo and Shameless ones like Oliseh, Odegbami etc then You ain’t seeing nothing yet.
If it really hurts then they should get off our back and let the worthy ones come on board.
Never you mention Odegbami in this platform again. He is one of the reasons we lose out of Nations cup in round of 16 and us not qualifying for world cup.