Nigeria Football Federation’s Coordinator for Futsal and Beach Soccer Football, Mr. 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 January 30, 2012 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 training.
The courses will run between February 19 and 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 in Uganda to conduct a Beach Soccer refereeing course, between December 10 and 17, 2011.
He was also in Zimbabwe to conduct another Beach Soccer refereeing course January 20 and 28 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.