An accountant by profession, Mr Gusau rose through the ranks to become Director of Finance in Zamfara State, where he served for over three decades.

Generosity and empathy can be powerful weapons, but not everyone can adapt to the demands of working in the corridors of power where national football decisions are made.

Civil servants, who work as football administrators will agree that this is one industry that brings out the best and worst in its employees, painfully and publicly.

But one man who has used generosity to his advantage is the newly elected President of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) Ibrahim Gusau.

According to close associates, the new NFF president’s sense of humanity is such that any encounter with him turns into quality time and when he speaks, people listen.

This is because he is always eager to demonstrate his problem-solving abilities when approached with life’s challenges.

That is significant in an era when Nigerian football has faced an unprecedented invasion of the evils of corruption, match-fixing, hooliganism, and a lack of accountability from the country’s football governing body.

Humble beginnings

No one knows the difficulties he has overcome better than he, who is from Zamfara, a state presently known as a haven for terrorists and bandits. His state’s insecurity impeded his tireless efforts at establishing a football academy.

Mr Gusau, an unassuming but thoroughbred administrator, rose through the ranks in the game, serving as Team Manager of Zamfara State’s Club 50, Sambo Babes, and Zamfara United football clubs, as well as Kassim Stars FC in Sokoto State, before being elected to the board of the Zamfara State Football Association.

A trained accountant, Mr Gusau rose through the ranks to become the Director of Finance in Zamfara State, where he served for over three decades. His desire to be the best in his field led him to work as a special assistant to former NFF president Aminu Maigari.

Mr Gusau’s track record provided evidence that his viewpoint is that of an insider who has been very close to the seat of power.

At the national level, he defeated Ifeanyi Ubah for the second time in a row in 2018 to become chairman of Chairmen of the NFF board under Amaju Pinnick’s administration.

Mr Gusau has served on the African Nations Championship organising committee, is a CAF Safety and Security Officer, and is presently a member of CAF’s organising committee for the U17, U20, and U23 youth competitions.

Portfolio and Agenda

The 58-year-old was once a special adviser to the governor of Zamfara State on the environment and has spent eight years as the Chairman of the Nigeria Football Committee, among other high-level positions. He knows the Glass House like the back of his hand.

However, all that ended after the NFF elective congress chose him as the new President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) after he polled 39 votes out of 40 votes in a runoff election. The northern caucus endorsed him after stating the baton of leadership had to return to the north.

The speed with which he is being ushered in shows how desperately state chairmen wanted a change in the Glass House.

Mr pinnick’s reign was a one-man show, marked by a series of controversies both on and off the field.

He had no choice but to abandon his dreams of running for a third term in office because he was no longer wanted by his federation.

The former Zamfara State Sports Commission Chairman from 2009 to 2010 has his hands full after assuming full rein as the new NFF president.

He promised to boost football, from the grassroots level in individual states of the federation, and to focus more on players’ welfare.

Also, he said television deals and building other revenue streams will be priorities while he mentioned private sector involvement in one of his interviews.

“The NPFL, NNL, NLO, and the NWFL for women league are key in the progress of Nigeria Football. If our leagues are vibrant, I believe the successes will reflect on the performances of our national teams,” he said when he declared his candidature.

“And for us to have strong national teams, both male and female, we have to focus on grassroots football, which is the breeding ground for a better league.”

“Another area our administration will focus on is age-grade football. For our national teams to prosper, the male U17, U20, U23, and their female counterparts will be given all necessary attention.”

“The senior national teams, Super Eagles and Super Falcons will surely get better if our cadet national teams are strong,” he added.

The man from Zamfara urged the new board he leads to be pragmatic in their approach to taking Nigerian football to a new height.

Having kept his ears as close as possible to the walls of the corridor of powers, he is no football revolutionary, more an evolutionary who feels Nigerian football needs to right the imbalances which have developed between grassroots and professional football. He wants the new board to recognise past failures and fix them.

Addressing the failures

The failures he refers to are well documented. Accountability is one word that most state Football Association (FA) chairmen would not discuss.

The Issue of accountability pops up in all spheres of Nigerian football and now is the time for Gusau to embrace transparency in the areas of cash flows such as FIFA grants as well annual budgets from the Sports Ministry.

Mr Gusau is said to be forthright in attacking negative influences and he must step up his efforts to run a transparent FA devoid of financial wastage which stems from jamboree trips by state FA Chairmen during Super Eagles matches. These are some of the loose ends he needs to tie up.

Secondly, the new NFF president must be ready to appoint technocrats to run the affairs of the NFF Technical department which is the bedrock of football development of every FA. The presence of charlatans in the department cost Nigeria dearly at the 2022 AFCON as well as the country’s failure to qualify for Qatar 2022 World Cup.

Also, it should not be business as usual when it comes to the appointment of coaches for various national teams.

While the Nigerian sporting press continues to struggle to come to terms with the appointment of Randy Waldrum as coach of the Super Falcons, Mr Gusau must ensure the appointment of national team managers is based on merit, while the recycling of [inept] coaches should be brought to an end.

His biggest challenge would be how best to revamp the ailing NPFL league after the Shehu Dikko-led LMC mismanaged the brand. He must ensure league sponsorship deals details are common knowledge before all and sundry unlike in the past when sponsorship figures were secret figures.

The league itself needs to be restructured, and that can only be achieved if the new NFF generalissimo can do away with the square pegs in round holes.

Finally, many feel Mr Pinnick used his role as NFF president to benefit himself rather than the country’s football. Hence, Mr Gusau must ensure that Nigerian football is less of him and more about the players, coaches, and federation while football politics is minimised to the barest minimum.

While the Super Eagles are the most important team under the NFF’s purview, they are not the only national team that needs attention. Gusau and his new board must ensure the Super Falcons and other national teams enjoy commensurate attention in terms of support and logistics.

Mr Gusau is the new man in charge in a democracy, but not in the way we know it. Though there are fears that he will choose to deploy the workings of the previous board, no one will care if he can just restore the glory days of Nigerian football.

Manchester City shot to the top spot on the EPL table after demolishing Southampton

hree Super Eagles players Joe Aribo, Frank Onyeka, and Kelechi Iheanacho, were in action in the Premier League on Saturday, but unfortunately, the Nigerian trio all ended on the losing side.

For Aribo and Onyeka, it was even worse, with Manchester City beating Southampton 4-0 and Brentford losing 5-1 to Newcastle United, respectively.

Unlike his other two compatriots, who came on as substitutes, Aribo was in action from the blast of the whistle at the Etihad Stadium.

However, unlike he did last weekend when he scored against Everton, Aribo huffed and puffed against City before making way for Juan Larios Lopez in the 79th minute.

The latest defeat for the Saints, the fourth in quick succession, has seen Aribo and his teammates hover around the relegation zone.

With seven points from nine games, Southampton presently occupy the 16th position on the Premier League table, though they are just one point above those in the relegation zone.

Super Falcon coach, Randy Waldrum, has come under pressure following his side recent 2-0 defeat away to Japan in Nadeshiko on Thursday.

Mina Tanaka scored twice within a four-minute second half span when the Falcons lost all discipline to hand the 2011 world champions victory. It could have been more, with goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie earning her place with multiple saves.

The defeat was his side’s fifth in a row and the nine time Women’s Africa Cup of Nations champions have let in 10 goals scoring two goals.

Despite guiding the Falcons to a fourth place finish at the recent Women’s Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Morocco, Waldrum, 66, is increasingly under pressure to keep his job ahead of the 2023 World Cup.

Angered by the team’s poor run of results – their worst ever, fans of the team also took to social media to ask the American to quit his role or get axed.

Nurudeen Obalola wrote, “The Super Falcons have now lost five straight matches since their WAFCON win over Cameroon in July. Shouldn’t we be very worried? What is Waldrum doing?

@ojobabatundeiso also tasked the Nigerian Football Federation to replace the American with an indigenous coach.

“So the Falcons lost to Japan in the friendly 2-0. Randy Waldrum is not a good coach. The NFF should just retrace their step and bring back indigenous coaches. These white coaches are killing our football.”

Chidi Ezeani on his part made a passionate appeal to the new NFF president, Ibrahim Gusau to replace Waldrum.

“To the NFF new Boss Alhaji Ibrahim Gusau, one of the most important points of call is to relieve Waldrum of his position as Head coach of the Super Falcons. Waldrum has turned our best-performing national team into a disjointed group of talents lacking any direction.

We have watched the Falcons retrogress drastically under his tutelage. We have too much talent to be just counted as participants at the next World Cup.”

@jiiresjewel also added some old guards be dropped from the squad, “The Falcons still have a long way to go at the World stage. These friendly games are good for the team but I feel some players should be let go from the squad.”

However, Waldrum insists that the defeat is proof of progress.

“Our games with Canada and the USA, (and Japan) have proven that we can play with the very best in the world. It is just getting the players to buy in and believe,” the American said.

He was also quick to point to mitigating circumstances prior to the defeat.

“We had to adjust the line up due to the fact that so many players came in late.

“I don’t put a lot of weight by what everybody outside says or the results of some games where we know half of those games we have not had our full team together,” he told American media.

“We are coaching the players that we have and I am proud of their development and I think the fans will be proud of their performance at the World Cup.”

“People talk about the team qualifying with ease for the World Cup in previous years.

“Women’s football was in a different place then. What you are seeing now in the last two World Cup cycles is that the game has grown and developed in Africa like it has in the rest of the world.

“You are seeing countries like South Africa and Morocco putting a lot of resources into women’s football and we have to be careful as a country not to expect to qualify and win the Cup of Nations just because we are Nigeria.

“Even in the last tournament, you advanced to the final and the championship by two games on penalty kicks. It’s not like it was a dominant performance in 2018.”

Erling Haaland struck his 20th goal of the season as Manchester City strolled to the top of the Premier League with a 4-0 demolition of Southampton at the Etihad.

Joao Cancelo, Phil Foden and Riyad Mahrez were also on target for the English champions, who move two points ahead of Arsenal at the top of the table.

City travel to Liverpool next weekend for what has become the Premier League’s marquee clash in recent seasons.

But on this form Pep Guardiola’s men look unstoppable with Haaland added to a squad that has already won four titles in the last five seasons.

After a couple of early season slip ups, City are beginning to hit their stride in a six-game winning run and have now struck 31 goals in seven games at the Etihad this season.

The surprise was that for once Haaland was not leading the charge as the 22-year-old’s streak of hat-tricks in home Premier League games came to an end at three.

Haaland should have opened the scoring when he rattled the inside of the post from Foden’s through ball in the early stages, but it appeared only a matter of time before the floodgates opened.

Cancelo was retained at left-back despite the absence of Kyle Walker at right-back and the Portuguese produced a finish Haaland would have been proud of as he marauded forward and fired into the bottom corner on 20 minutes.

Foden netted his first hat-trick as City tore Manchester United to shreds last weekend and continued his fine form in front of goal with a delightful chip over Gavin Bazunu.

Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl could have taken charge of the Saints for the final time with reports this week that the Austrian is on the brink of being sacked.

After a bright start to the campaign, Southampton have lost their last four games and had no answer to the wave upon wave of City attacks after the break.

Guardiola has had some stern words for Mahrez on his physical conditioning in the early weeks of the season, but there were sparks of the Algerian’s best as he volleyed home Rodri’s cross to kill off the encounter as a contest.

All eyes then turned to Haaland’s quest to keep his incredible scoring streak going.

Twice the former Borussia Dortmund striker was guilty of passing up chances he would normally bury as he failed to connect with De Bruyne’s cross from point blank range and then failed to beat Bazunu on a one-on-one.

However, Haaland did finally net for the 10 consecutive club game when he fired home a low cross form the excellent Cancelo.

The Flamingos of Nigeria stormed India on Friday ahead of the 2022 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.

The players and their officials left Kocaeli, Turkey on Thursday night for the Asian country.

The Flamingos spent 10 days in Kocaeli and engaged in two friendlies against Galatasaray Ladies and Fenerbahce Ladies.

Bankole Olowookere’s girls defeated Galatasaray 3-1 and lost by the same scoreline to Fenerbahce.

“Hello India! Our sisters, Flamingos have arrived Goa for #U17WWC after a five-hour stopover in Mumbai.

Players and officials have since settled down at Grand Hyatt Hotel,”reads a tweet on the Super Falcons Twitter handle.

The Flamingos will face Germany in their first game in the competition next week Tuesday in Goa.

Chile and New Zealand are the other teams in the group.

Tyson Fury is set for a December 3rd fight against Derek Chisora after talks to fight Anthony Joshua fell through and is reported to have reached an agreement.

The Sun report the fight will take place in Cardiff on the same date as the Joshua fight, with the WBC Champion keen to return to the ring before Christmas. The fight will be dubbed ‘Battle at the Castle’ in reference to Cardiff Castle and reminiscent of a recent WWE event which took place in the city.

Fury remains undefeated while Chisora has had a long and storied career which has seen 45 fights, with 33 wins and 12 losses. Two of those defeats have come at the hands of Fury, with the first of those coming at Wembley Arena in 2011 before a second win in 2014 coming just 12 months before he became world champion with a win against Wladimir Klitschko in 2015.

Now, nearly ten years after the saga began, the trilogy fight will take place between the British pair. Fury called out Chisora in the wake of Joshua’s loss to Oleksandr Usyk before turning his attentions to Joshua after a fight could not be agreed. Now, however, Chisora appears to have agreed to enter the ring against Fury and will hope to become the first man to beat the Wythenshawe born fighter.

Manchester United are confident Cristiano Ronaldo will not leave the club in January, because of a lack of interest in him.

United are bracing themselves for Ronaldo to mount another push to leave Old Trafford if he cannot win a regular place in Erik ten Hag’s team.

Despite the 37-year-old’s desire to move in the summer, the Red Devils only received one firm offer from a club in Saudi Arabia.

Speculation in the summer linked Ronaldo with Champions League sides including Chelsea, Napoli and Bayern Munich, but United never received a proposal from any club in Europe.

There’s even a chance Chelsea’s stance may have changed after Graham Potter replaced Thomas Tuchel as manager.

However, the Blues eased their problems upfront after bringing in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang late in the window.

Ronaldo has endured a difficult start to the season, scoring one goal – a penalty in the Europa League against Sheriff.

Ten Hag recently revealed how the No. 7 is “pissed off” with his lack of game time.

As the county to the seventh edition of the Lagos Women Run continues, organisers have announced a massive increase in the cash prizes for the participants.

Tayo Popoola, Coordinator for Lagos Women Run, disclosed to journalists that more winners compared to previous editions will be rewarded with varying cash prizes.

She explained that while only the top three finishers received cash prizes in time past, the 2022 landmark edition has been expanded to reward the top 10 finishers in both the Open and Veteran categories.

“We have mapped out a strategy to ensure we reward more runners, so instead of focusing on just the top three finishers, we will be giving various cash prizes to the first ten finishers,” she said.

According to Popoola, the increased prize money is one of the numerous innovations that would make the 2022 Lagos Women Run an unforgettable edition, being the 7th anniversary of the annual fiesta.

“Every year, we always work hard to get better and that is our goal again this year. We have a couple of other innovations that will be shared in the days ahead as we countdown to this year’s race,” she stated.

Since its inception in 2016, the Lagos Women Run has become one of the most eagerly anticipated events; especially among women across different walks of life, including entertainment, fashion, politics, academia, business, and much more.

She said: “Of course, Lagos Women Run is not just a sporting event, it is a rallying point for women across different walks of life and that has been evident in the calibre of people you see turning up for the race every year”

In this special edition, women will make a bold statement with the adopted hashtags #Runforunity and #Runforlove.

While the registration for past editions of the Lagos Women Run has been strictly online, free physical forms have been made available this time.

“Yes, we have physical forms for those who prefer the physical interface, they can pick them up at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, for now, other pickup places will soon be announced so it would be easy for everyone to come on board and be part of this fun-filled race”

The seventh Lagos Women Run will be taking place on Saturday, November 12, 2022.

The powerfully themed initiative #Runforunity, #Runforlove is expected to pull in an unprecedented number of women from every nook and cranny of our great nation.