Ali Ishaku to receive Federation Cup best goalkeeper award amidst controversy

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Abia Warriors goalkeeper Ali Ishaku will be officially presented with the Best Goalkeeper award for the 2024 President Federation Cup at the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) office in Abuja.

This follows a mix-up during the award ceremony at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan, Lagos on Saturday, where El-Kanemi Warriors won the final 2-0.

El-Kanemi Warriors secured their third title thanks to a brace from midfielder Nasiru Salihu. However, the award presentation took an unexpected turn when an NFF official incorrectly announced El-Kanemi Warriors goalkeeper George Abine as the Best Goalkeeper. This announcement led to Abine receiving the award meant for Ishaku.

The mistake was quickly identified, and the NFF has since rectified the error. Ishaku, who saved a penalty during the final—his fourth save in the tournament—was reassured by his club chairman, John Obu, that he would receive the award and the N1m prize money in Abuja.

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“The chairman of my club, John Obu, called me later after the event to tell me that I should not worry, that they’ve collected the award back and that I will receive the award at the NFF office in Abuja,” Ishaku said as quoted by PUNCH. “He told me to send him my account number so that he will forward it to them (NFF) so I can get the money.”

El-Kanemi Warriors’ goalkeeper, George Abine, expressed his disappointment but accepted the decision gracefully. “They didn’t say anything, they just asked me to return the award and I was surprised,” Abine said. “I believe they ought to look at the criteria before handing out awards because I kept five clean sheets in six matches and only conceded one goal during the tournament. I am just happy that we won the title and that is more important than individual glory.”

NFF General Secretary, Mohammed Sanusi, confirmed that the issue had been resolved but could not provide details on how the mistake occurred. “It is an issue that has been resolved and the (Abia) goalkeeper has been assured of getting his award. I can’t really say how the mistake occurred,” Sanusi said.

Both Ishaku and Abine confirmed that they did not get the chance to speak to each other after the incident. “No, I didn’t get the chance to speak to him (Abine) because they were celebrating and I had my family who came to watch me, so, I went to say hi to them,” Ishaku said. Abine added, “They were already leaving by the time we finished, so, we couldn’t see each other.”