MAIGARI CRAVES BETTER FUNDING OF FOOTBALL

Maigari
President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Alhaj Aminu Maigari, has said that the greatest challenge football is facing is inadequate funding which militates against the execution of the programme of the federation.

Speaking at the anuual general assembly of the NFF in Abuja last Saturday, Alhaji Maigari said that in the year under review, the NFF budgetted N6billion but got a paltry N800 million, while the NFF generated N1.2 billion from sponsors.

“From the above, it is clear that what we get as revenue in total is grossly inadequate compared with our expenditure. Despite this, we give our sincere thanks and appreciation to the Federal Government for the support through the decade, the late President Umaru Musa Yar' Adua and President Goodluck Jonathan for their wonderful interest in the activities of the Super Eagles in setting up a Presendial Task Force to ensure that we went to the World Cup”, he said

The former chairman of the NFF finance committee said that for next year, the NFF had asked for a liitle over N6 billion with football matters accounting for large chunk of the money, adding that the private sector needs to pump in money in support of the game.

He reiterated the determination of the NFF executive to return football in Nigeria to its former pride of place being the passion of Nigerians, adding that football needs an atmosphere of peace, tranquility and obedience to the rules, regulations and statutes in the running of the game.