In a stinging evaluation of the worldwide football calendar, Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois accused sports officials of prioritizing income over player welfare.

Courtois, 29, was commenting after his country’s 2-1 loss to European champions Italy in the UEFA Nations League third-place play-off on Sunday, a match he had previously branded as “pointless.”

Both teams made several changes to their starting lineups following their semi-final defeats on midweek, with Belgium’s captain Eden Hazard and striker Romelu Lukaku unable to play due to muscle strain.

“This game is just a money game and we have to be honest about it,” said Courtois.

“We just play it because for UEFA it’s extra money.

“Look at how much both teams changed [line-ups]. If both teams would have been in the final there would have been other players in the final playing.

“This just shows that we play too many games.”

source : skysport

More uncertainty continues to trail the ongoing National Identity Number (NIN) registration after a group, the African Centre for Justice and Human Rights (ACJHR), asked the federal government to stop the exercise.

ACJHR in a statement in Abuja said the registration being carried out by the Nigerian Identity Management Commission (NIMC) exposes Nigerians to the risks of contracting COVID-19, The Sun reported.

ACJHR wants FG to stop the further spread of COVID-19 infections in the country. Photo: Dr Isa Ali Pantam (Facebook), NIMC.

The executive director of the forum, Nduka-Edede Chinwendu, advised the government to take into consideration the daily increase of COVID-19 cases being recorded in Nigeria.

The director said halting the ongoing registration will help in checking the further spread of the disease in Nigeria.

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The group said it is shameful to see crowds gathering at registration centres at a time the same government is asking citizens to adhere to COVID-19 guidelines.

“ACJHR therefore called on the Federal Government to stop the ongoing registration if indeed it is serious with its acclaimed commitment to curtailing the spread of the virus.”

“We shall henceforth hold the government responsible for any further increase in the number of infections in the country if it fails to stop the exercise forthwith."

Meanwhile, the minister of state for health, Olorunnimbe Mamora, has said the federal government may suspend the NIN enrolment.

Mamora told Channels TV on Monday, January 11, that the exercise may be suspended due to the risks of contracting COVID-19 because of the large crowds which visit the NIN centres.

He said the crowds that have thronged the NIN registration centres across the country is a cause for concern.