25th December, 2015
Taiwo Adelu
Former Chairman of Gombe State Football Association, Ahmed Gara Gombe, has foreseen a very tough year ahead for the administration of football in Nigeria, saying ‘wind of change’ would blow many people away in 2016.
Describing what he foresaw for 2016, Nigeria’s foremost sports critic, said that there will be an ‘implosion and explosion’ in the system.
According to him, the expected change, which must happen in Nigerian football, will not come on a platter of gold, and its coming will consume those he described as enemies of progress who have been feeding fat on the system and would fight to ensure that the status quo remains.
“We cannot continue with the way the game is being run in Nigeria. There must be change. Unfortunately, this change will not come so easily because of the rot in the system. This will bring implosion and explosion in the system and the bad eggs will be consumed.
“The change will heat up the polity because so many people won’t like it and I foresee that the system is going to be hot for the change that is coming,” Gara Gombe said on Christmas day.
Gara-Gombe may not be wrong with his prediction of tough year for Nigerian football in 2016 going by the situation of things few days to the end of 2015.
Few days ago, factional Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) board, led by Chris Giwa, said that it will reclaim its mandate of 26 August, 2014 which returned it as the elected board of the country’s football house.
After a meeting in Abuja on 21 December, the board resolved to resume at the NFF secretariat on 12 January, 2016.
Mr Habila Ardzard, legal adviser of the group, said that the 30 September, 2014 election that brought in the Pinnick-led board had since been nullified by a Federal High Court sitting in Jos.
Though, NFF General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi, said that the federation was not aware of the faction’s decision to reclaim its mandate, If the threat of Giwa-led factional board is however pursue further, this may bring Nigeria and the world football governing body FIFA, which recognised Pinnick-led board, a collision and a ban on the country in the first month of 2016.