..blasts non-affiliate members, others
The newly elected Chairman of Imo State Football Association, Barr. Ifeanyi Dike said he would sensitise residents of Imo State on the business side of football.
Speaking to Wakawaka Sports Extra, on Global FM Sports Update, the new helmsman of the Imo FA, pledged to run an inclusive government through international best practices.
According to him, priority will be placed on harnessing the talents that abound in the state by consolidating the developmental benefits accrued to the state.
His words: “Let me thank all the delegates who participated in the election and saw me fit and proper to take over the mantle of leadership of Imo State FA. I want to promise Imolites that we are going to consolidate on the efrorts and achievements of Mazi Amanze Uchegbulam who just handed over to me in taking Imo State football to a greater height.
“We are going to make sure that we apply the rules to the later. We will bring Imo State football to the best international practices standard by proper consolidation, applying the rules, making sure that all stakeholders are included in whatever activities.
“We must make sure that we educate Imolites on what football is all about and the benefits in football. This will include corporate entities, individuals and those who have passion for football and government at large.
“Before now the old Imo State used to be the biggest football talents and players and investigations we carried out revealed that even among other female football clubs in other states, Imolites are the highest deposit of players.
“We will make sure we bring everybody together and see the tendency of doing that so that we will take Imo State where it used to be. We have lost the Imo State glory in football for some time now as well as getiting our national cake and what its due to Imo State in football.
“The moment we let them know that actually we are major contributors, there you see pressures coming from FIFA, from NFF to Imo State to boost us because those are our developmental benefits for discovery and producing these players. I promise Imolites that Imo State football will be taken to a greater height.
“Football is more greater than the oil industry when it comes to money. Take for instance when Kelechi Iheanacho after playing U-17 for Nigeria and emerged as Highest Goals scorer and Best Player in that competition, some persons came claiming owners of Kelechi Iheanacho.
“But the magic that happened was that his root was traced and established that he was Imo State U-13 sponsored by Mazi Amanze Uchegbulam. Thereafter, he played for Taye Academy in U-15 and Taye Academy was affiliated with Imo State FA. So when the issue came up it was proven he came from Taye Academy and that fetched him fortune of his life because having been the owner of Kelechi Iheanacho.
“Part of our agenda will be organising seminars and workshops from time to time to educate all stakeholders including the referees, match commissioners, club owners, sports writers on the current trends in football to get it right at the end of the day.”
He went further to bemoan non-affiliate members who indulge in organising football competitions without the knowledge of the State FA adding that it’s a worrisome trend that would be nip in the bud.
“It is really worrisome that most football organisers in the state, club owners and sponsors do not know what it means to involve in association football.
“There are situations where they play competitions without affiliation to State FA and be involved in their activities thinking probably they are doing themselves favour because you need to pay a little token for the FA to come in and organise your competition and give it the necessary recognition.
“The implication is that if anything happens in the course of playing, the FA will simply say we do not know these persons and in most cases, it culminates into criminal offenses. The moment an issue comes from FIFA or NFF as the case may be, FA will deny knowing about the competition, therein the organisers of the competition will be in trouble.
“The most worrisome aspect of it is that where a player is being picked up from that competition, or from any club that is not affiliated to FA, if eventually there are scouts or the player has the opportunity of playing abroad, the tendency that whoever owns the player or whoever organises the competition, will lose the player because at that point what FIFA will look at where the player started from and it only when you affiliate such competitions, we issue receipt or the FA will put it in their data base and give it all the recognition.”
