Shina Philips backs Nigerian football to bounce back from recent setbacks

President of the Nigeria Pitch Awards, Shina Philips, has expressed confidence that Nigerian football will recover from its recent setbacks and regain its place among Africa’s leading football nations.

Mr Philips spoke in Abuja on Monday as the organisers of the annual Nigeria Pitch Awards announced that the 12th edition of the awards ceremony will be held on 8 September at the Ibis Hotel, Toyin Street, Ikeja, Lagos.

His comments come after a difficult period for Nigeria’s national teams, with the Super Eagles and Super Falcons recently suffering setbacks in their respective World Cup qualification campaigns.

Despite the disappointments, Mr Philips said the quality of Nigerian players competing in leagues around the world provides reason for optimism.

“We have absolute confidence in our footballers who are doing well in various leagues across Europe, America, Africa, and other parts of the world,” he said.

He said the decision to proceed with the 12th edition of the awards at this time was a demonstration of the organisers’ belief in Nigerian football and its players.

“Hosting the 12th Awards Ceremony at this time is a demonstration of our faith in Nigerian football. Since 2013, when we held our maiden edition in Calabar, we have shown Nigerians that our players deserve commendations and encouragement for their selfless, patriotic contributions to the growth of our football,” Mr Philips said.

The awards ceremony was initially scheduled for earlier in the year but was postponed. Mr Philips apologised for the delay, explaining that the trophies and other logistics were already in place, but some factors forced the organisers to shift the date.

“All necessary logistics, including the award statuettes, have been in place, but the awards themselves could not be held as earlier scheduled,” he said.

Lookman, Osimhen, Nnadozie in contention

The 12th Nigeria Pitch Awards will feature 18 categories, with several Super Eagles and Super Falcons players among the nominees.

For the King of the Pitch award, Atlético de Madrid forward Ademola Lookman, Fulham defender Calvin Bassey and Galatasaray striker Victor Osimhen are the nominees.

Lookman and Osimhen are also competing for the Rashidi Yekini Award for Best Striker of the Year, alongside Anas Yusuf of Wolaita Dicha FC.

The Queen of the Pitch award will be contested by Super Falcons goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie of Brighton & Hove Albion Women, Esther Okoronkwo of AFC Toronto and Rasheedat Ajibade of Paris Saint-Germain.

Other categories include Goalkeeper, Defender, Midfielder, Team, Coach, Sportsmanship, Corporate Sponsor and Football Journalist of the Year across print, television, radio and online platforms.

Remo Stars, Rivers United and the Super Falcons are nominated for Team of the Year, while Daniel Ogunmodede, Finidi George and Justin Madugu are in contention for Coach of the Year.

READ ALSO: How Rivers Uniteds Champions League collapse exposes cracks in Nigerian football

For the State with the Best Grassroots Football Development Programme, Delta, Kwara and Lagos states are the nominees.

The Football Pitch of the Year category features the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo, the MKO Abiola Sports Arena in Abeokuta, and the Remo Stars Stadium in Remo.

Governors Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos, Dapo Abiodun of Ogun and Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom are nominated for Football Friendly Governor of the Year.

The awards ceremony is expected to bring together football administrators, players, coaches, government officials, corporate organisations and members of the media to recognise contributions to Nigerian football.