Sports

NFF Appoints Balele, Olopade, Mukhtar Advisers on age-grade National Teams

Published

4 years ago

October 19, 2022

Joel Ajayi

President of Nigeria Football Federation, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau has appointed respected football administrator and Chairman of Katsina State Football Association, Alhaji Aminu Balele Kurfi and sports marketing guru, Hon. Bukola Olopade as part of a three-man panel of advisers for preparations of age-grade National Teams for upcoming major international competitions.

The age grade National team includes, Under 17, Uder 20 and U23 Teams.

The empanelling of the football experts, which also includes Alhaji Abba Mukhtar, has been done pending the composition of Sub-Committees by the new NFF Executive Committee, and the panel will be inaugurated on Thursday, 20^th October at the NFF Secretariat by Alhaji Gusau.

The U23 National Team, also known as Olympic Eagles, will engage their Tanzanian counterparts in a two-legged second-round fixture, starting with the first leg in Dar es Salaam on Sunday and the return session in Ibadan next week Saturday. Victory on aggregate will take the Olympic Eagles to the next round of the qualifiers, which final tournament has been scheduled for the Kingdom of Morocco 2^nd – 26^th November 2023.

Already, the U20 and U17 Boys’ squads have qualified for their continental competitions, by winning their respective WAFU B tournaments earlier this year. The U20 boys, Flying Eagles conquered all in Niamey, Niger Republic in May while the U17 boys, Golden Eaglets were triumphant in Cape Coast, Ghana in June.

The U20 Africa Cup of Nations will be staged in Egypt 20^th February – 12^th March 2023 with the top four teams qualifying to represent Africa at next year’s FIFA U20 World Cup finals in Indonesia.

The U17 Africa Cup of Nations will be staged in Algeria 8^th – 30^th April 2023 with the top four teams qualifying to represent Africa at next year’s FIFA U17 World Cup finals in Peru

Share on Facebook

Sports

SWAN President Calls for Gender-Fair Reporting in Sports Journalism

Published

18 hours ago

October 26, 2026

The Gleamer

By Joel Ajayi

The President of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), Isaiah Kemje Benjamin, has urged sports journalists to eliminate gender stereotypes and bias in their reports to promote fairness, inclusion and greater visibility for women in sports.

Benjamin made the call on Monday in Abuja while delivering a presentation titled “Gender-Sensitive Journalism: Removing Gender Stereotypes and Bias in Sports Reporting” at the Annual Women in Sports Leadership Training/Seminar for Journalists, organised by the Women Commission of the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC).

He said sports journalists play a critical role in shaping public opinion, influencing athletes’ visibility and determining which achievements receive recognition, sponsorship and investment.

According to him, the way the media reports women in sports can either reinforce existing barriers or help dismantle them.

Benjamin explained that gender-sensitive journalism requires fairness, accuracy, equality and inclusion, stressing that it does not mean giving female athletes favourable coverage or shielding them from legitimate criticism.

He identified common forms of bias in sports reporting, including giving men’s competitions greater prominence, focusing on female athletes’ appearance rather than performance, defining women by their marital or family status, and questioning their competence in leadership positions.

The SWAN president urged journalists to adopt respectful language, apply consistent professional standards and extend coverage beyond national teams to domestic leagues, grassroots competitions, female coaches, referees and sports administrators.

Using Nigeria’s sporting landscape as an example, he said the achievements of the Super Falcons deserved sustained analysis beyond match results, including discussions on investment, player development, professional leagues and grassroots structures.

He also noted that digital platforms offered opportunities to expand coverage of women’s sports but warned journalists against sensationalism, online harassment and sexist commentary.

Benjamin proposed seven measures, including gender-sensitive editorial guidelines, regular coverage audits, diversified sources, professional development, stronger grassroots reporting and measurable progress.

He called on SWAN to collaborate with the NOC, sports federations, leagues and clubs to improve access to information and strengthen women’s visibility in sports.

He urged journalists to ensure that athletes are judged by their performances and achievements rather than gender stereotypes.

“Gender-sensitive journalism must be fair, not favourable,” he said, emphasising that responsibility for change rests with reporters, editors, broadcasters, photographers and digital publishers.

Share on Facebook