NFF Official for Beach Soccer Refereeing Course in SA

Nigeria Football Federation’s Coordinator for Futsal and Beach Soccer football, Sunday Okayi, has been appointed by world football-governing body, FIFA to conduct a refereeing course in Beach Soccer in South Africa later this month.

In a letter from the world body, dated 30 January and signed by Marco Schuepp, FIFA’s Coordinator for Beach Soccer and Futsal, Okayi will join Brazilian Marcelo Mendes, who will handle the Coaching aspect of the conduct as the courses will run between February 19 – 24.

This latest appointment adds to Okayi’s rising profile in Beach Soccer refereeing, in which he is a respected instructor. The former Head of NFF’s Referees Unit was also Uganda to conduct a Beach Soccer refereeing course, between 10th – 17th December, 2011.

He was also in Zimbabwe to conduct another Beach Soccer refereeing course, between 20th – 28th January this year.

Nigeria is a rising power in the game of beach soccer in the world. At the last FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup finals in Ravenna, Italy, the Supersand Eagles were eliminated by four-time world champions Brazil in the quarter finals, only after extra time. But the Nigeria team was awarded the FIFA Fair-Play Trophy of that championship.

In December last year, the Supersand Eagles swept away all before them, including Brazil, England and South Africa, to win the inaugural edition of the COPA Lagos Invitational Tournament, which took place at the Eko Atlantic Beach, Lagos.