Former Shooting Stars Sports Club Coach Fatai Amoo has criticized the state of Nigerian football, citing the poor performance of Nigerian national teams as evidence of regression.

Ina chat, Amoo called for immediate reforms and a long-term, youth-focused rebuild for the national team ahead of 2030.

He also blamed the condition of pitches in some parts of the country and also said there is a need for leaders to address long-standing issues.

“I think our football is retrogressive in terms of players and results,” Amoo said.

“For me, I have tried my best.

You do your best and leave the rest. Nobody can be a champion forever. From my understanding, the reason why we aren’t doing well is that we have left so many things undone, and we aren’t trying to do it right — especially those that are taking charge of football in Nigeria today,” he said.

“And of course, it’s the Nigeria Football Federation, isn’t it? I think if we can go back and look at what and what we have not done well, and try to correct them, I think we will bounce back.

“For example, we want to talk about our football pitches, especially at the national level. You’re talking about hosting, most of the time they say Nigeria doesn’t have the pitches. It’s part of our problems. It shouldn’t be that.”

He also charged the Super Eagles head coach, Eric Chelle, to rebuild the team ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.

Amoo noted that Nigeria can follow the same blueprint as Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta if the team must be successful.

“Now we should get our bed ready first to make sure they (senior players) feature in the 2027 AFCON qualifiers, and for us to qualify. That’s very important, we can’t gamble with that.

“Those playing who have established themselves in the national team, we know what they can do.

“When we qualify then we will start looking for both Nigerian players home and abroad, it won’t be bad if we take a gamble every now and then during the qualifiers; introducing one or two new players at least in the squad even if not starting.

“But we must ensure we qualify first and we have the players to qualify in the group we have found ourselves in if we don’t joke with it.”

The president of the Iranian FA said Fifa has approved the country’s World Cup training base being switched from the United States to Mexico.

Mehdi Taj said Iran will now be based in the Mexican border city of Tijuana, although the change has yet to be confirmed by Fifa.

Iran were given Tucson, Arizona as their World Cup base but the ongoing war in the Middle East and related security concerns has led to uncertainty around their participation.

The tournament is being co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico, with Iran scheduled to play New Zealand on 15 June and Belgium on 21 June – both in Los Angeles – and Egypt in Seattle on 26 June.

“All team base camps for the countries participating in the World Cup must be approved by Fifa,” Taj said.

“Fortunately, following the requests we submitted and the meetings we held with Fifa and World Cup officials in Istanbul, as well as the webinar meeting we had on Friday in Tehran with the respected Fifa secretary general [Swede Mattias Grafstrom], our request to change the team’s base from the United States to Mexico was approved.

“We will be based in the Tijuana camp, which is near the Pacific Ocean and on the border between Mexico and the United States.”

He added that Tijuana was closer to the cities where Iran will play than the camp in Arizona.

“The distance for us in the two games that we have in LA will be a 55-minute flight, which is a lot less compared to Tucson,” he said.

Iran are currently preparing for the tournament in Antalya, southern Turkey.

Earlier this month, Taj said that Iran players were still waiting to be issued with visas for the tournament, which begins on 11 June.

The Iranian FA (FFIRI) has presented Fifa with a list of 10 conditions for their participation at the World Cup, including allowing players, coaches and officials who have completed military service with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to receive visas.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that Iran players will be welcome at the tournament but individuals with links to the IRGC could face entry restrictions.

Taj was one of a number of FFIRI officials turned away at the Canadian border ahead of April’s Fifa annual congress in Vancouver with Canada’s immigration minister telling parliament that his visa was cancelled because of links to the IRGC.

Some members of the squad went to the US embassy in Ankara on Thursday to submit visa applications for the tournament.

Kwara-born table tennis player Tobi Matti has intensified his ambition of reaching the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, as he continues his professional career in Italy and targets improved global ranking performances.

The 25-year-old, who has spent more than five years competing professionally in Italy, said qualifying for the Olympics remains his primary objective as he seeks to establish himself among the sport’s elite.

Framing his long-term ambition around the Games, Matti said the 2028 Olympics represent the clearest measure of his progress and career direction, while also acknowledging the difficulties he has faced in pursuit of that goal.

“My goal is to participate in the 2028 Olympics and also attend multiple international tournaments, and that ambition has shaped my journey despite the challenges I face in trying to progress at this level,” Matti told our correspondent.

The Italy-based player, who features for TT Centro Sportivo Bonacossa, also spoke about the financial strain of competing internationally without consistent sponsorship, saying he has largely depended on personal funding to sustain his career.

He added that the lack of structured support has made participation in overseas competitions difficult, though he remains determined to continue competing at the highest possible level.

“My experience pursuing my professional aspirations internationally has been quite demanding due to the absence of sponsorship,” he said.

Matti began playing table tennis at the age of eight while studying in Nigeria, later pursuing a degree in Business Administration at Kwara State Polytechnic.

He has represented Nigeria at several international events, including the ITTF Nigeria Open between 2013 and 2018, as well as the 2019 Portugal Open and the Africa Senior Table Tennis Team Championship.

His career in Europe has also included domestic success, notably winning a league title with TT Ennio Cristofaro after several near misses in previous seasons.

Reflecting on that achievement, Matti said persistence played a key role in finally securing silverware after multiple unsuccessful attempts.

“Winning the league title has been challenging. As the team’s number one player, my team and I struggled for three years, consistently finishing second or third. We eventually secured the league title in our third year,” he said.

In the most recent campaign, Matti finished fourth with Tennistavolo Torre del Greco ASD, continuing his steady presence in Italy’s competitive table tennis structure.

Matti has also remained committed to giving back to his home state, previously donating table tennis equipment to young players in Kwara as part of efforts to support grassroots development.

He said he hopes his career progression will enable him to inspire the next generation of Nigerian players, while also calling for greater financial support for athletes in the sport.

“Nigeria is really blessed with a lot of talents, but players need support to attend tournaments and training camps because table tennis is an expensive sport to play,” he added.

Matti now hopes his continued development in Europe will eventually translate into Olympic qualification and the chance to represent Nigeria on the world stage in 2028.