• Hausa Edition
  • Podcast
  • Conferences
  • LeVogue Magazine
  • Business News
  • Print Advert Rates
  • Online Advert Rates
  • Contact Us
Sunday, August 3, 2025
Leadership Newspapers
Read in Hausa
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Health
  • Entertainment
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Football
  • Others
    • LeVogue Magazine
    • Conferences
    • National Economy
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Health
  • Entertainment
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Football
  • Others
    • LeVogue Magazine
    • Conferences
    • National Economy
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
Leadership Newspapers
No Result
View All Result

Federal Govt, NFF Explain Why Falconets Overstayed At Istanbul AirportĀ 

by Salifu Usman
3 years ago
in Sport
Falconets
Share on WhatsAppShare on FacebookShare on XTelegram

The Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development and the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) said a number of factors, including the inability to secure transit visas for players and officials of the U20 female national team, Falconets, at the Istanbul Airport, led to the team having to stay 24 hours at the airport in Turkey on their way from the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica.

Advertisement

The Ministry while reacting to viral pictures of Nigeria’s female football team, portraying them stranded at the airport in Istanbul, said they did not book for the team to travel from Bogota to Panama.

“The Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development and the NFF did not book the tickets. The World Cup is a FIFA tournament. FIFA booked tickets for the team to travel from Bogota to Panama, but for some reasons, the flight to Panama was delayed for three hours. There was another one hour delay at the airport in Panama and by the time the team got to Istanbul, the flight to Abuja had left.

“The NFF officials pleaded that the team be given transit visas at the airport so they could head to a hotel in the town, but this was not possible as Nigeria had been removed from the list of countries granted transit visas at Istanbul Airport. So, the airline took the team to a sleeping area at the airport and handed them tickets to have meals after every 5 hours,” the Sport Ministry said in a statement.

The Sports Minister, Sunday Dare, added that he has personally reached out to the team via telephone and video calls and they will be home bound soon.

RELATED

Peter Rufai: Exit Of Dodo Mayana

Ex-Super Eagles Keeper, Peter Rufai, Goes Home August 22

2 hours ago
Team Nigeria Praised For Discipline At African School Games

Team Nigeria Praised For Discipline At African School Games

2 hours ago

For hid part, NFF general secretary, Dr Sanusi Muhammad, in his reaction, said FIFA who book the team’s tickets from Costa Rica did not envisage the hitches that saw the team delayed for more than three hours in Bogota, and another one hour in Panama.

“The NFF did not book the team’s tickets from Costa Rica; FIFA did. FIFA also did not envisage the hitches that saw the team delayed for more than three hours in Bogota, and another one hour in Panama. By the time the team got to Istanbul, the flight to Abuja had left.

ā€œThis situation has nothing to do with NFF, who had made arrangements to receive the team in Abuja before the complications in travel arrangements,ā€ Sanusi, explained.

Sanusi added that the NFF had implored world-governing body, FIFA, to intervene with the Embassy of Germany to issue the team transit visas before their departure from Nigeria, in order for the team to be able to travel through Germany but added that this did not happen.

On the issue of body-wear, Sanusi said: ā€œThe players were handed three sets of green jerseys and two sets of white jerseys, several house-wear types and training jerseys. The players opted to wash only their jersey top (no other stuff) because when the first set of body-wear was sent to the laundry people at the hotel, it returned with some FIFA and NFF badges at the front and names at the back peeled by the machine.”


We’ve got the edge. Get real-time reports, breaking scoops, and exclusive angles delivered straight to your phone. Don’t settle for stale news. Join LEADERSHIP NEWS on WhatsApp for 24/7 updates →

Join Our WhatsApp Channel




Tags: Falconets
SendShareTweetShare
Previous Post

200 Nigerians Benefit From EUĀ Postgraduate Scholarships

Next Post

Artefacts: Benin Monarch’s Representatives, Others To Attend Arts Exhibition In Germany

Salifu Usman

Salifu Usman

You May Like

Peter Rufai: Exit Of Dodo Mayana
Football

Ex-Super Eagles Keeper, Peter Rufai, Goes Home August 22

2025/08/03
Team Nigeria Praised For Discipline At African School Games
Sport

Team Nigeria Praised For Discipline At African School Games

2025/08/03
Emulate Super Falcons’ Resilience, Garba Lawal Urges Super Eagles
Football

Emulate Super Falcons’ Resilience, Garba Lawal Urges Super Eagles

2025/08/03
Remi Tinubu Praises D’Tigress for Flying Nigeria’s Flag High
Sport

Remi Tinubu Praises D’Tigress for Flying Nigeria’s Flag High

2025/08/03
Kwara South Monarchs, Leaders Defend Tinubu On Appointments
Sport

Ex-Falcons Players Seek Tinubu’s Attention, Plead For Recognition

2025/08/03
McIlroy To Miss PGA Tour Play-off Opener
Sport

McIlroy To Miss PGA Tour Play-off Opener

2025/08/03
Leadership Conference advertisement

LATEST

NDLEA Intercepts Cocaine, Tramadol Consignments In Vehicle Side Mirrors

Malaria: Oyo Begins Free Distribution Of 5m Insecticide-treated Nets

Amnesty Int’l Flays Govt’s Silence On Dadiyata’s Disappearance

Ex-Super Eagles Keeper, Peter Rufai, Goes Home August 22

Team Nigeria Praised For Discipline At African School Games

Emulate Super Falcons’ Resilience, Garba Lawal Urges Super Eagles

Zulum, Emeka Offor Donate N2.7bn To UMTH

Flavour Celebrates 15 Years Of Highlife Album That Changed His Game

Blessing CEO’s FiancĆ©, IVD, Arrested At Lagos Airport

Directors’ Guild President Condemns MovieBox Piracy

Ā© 2025 Leadership Media Group - All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Health
  • Entertainment
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Football
  • Others
    • LeVogue Magazine
    • Conferences
    • National Economy
  • Contact Us

Ā© 2025 Leadership Media Group - All Rights Reserved.