Governing Bodies
NIGERIA’S SPORTS MINISTER AWAITS EXTERNAL ASSESSMENT OF HIS SIX-MONTH STEWARDSHIP
Nigeria’s Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare has declared that he could not score himself six months after assuming office, even as he remains focused on re-inventing the wheels in spite of the challenges.
According to a report from his media office, Dare said: “It would be totally wrong to score myself. You can’t score yourself in an examination. Relevant stakeholders who have been monitoring what we have done since assuming office should do the scorecard.
“But by and large, we have tried to re invent the wheel of Youth and Sports Development, and restore confidence in the sector.
‘We have changed the wrong perception about the Youth and Sports Development Ministry, and engaged with critical stakeholders, the athletes and those that are genuinely interested in supporting us to actualize our vision.
“We have succeeded in convincing the athletes who are at the core of winning honours that we mean well and their welfare remains our central focus.
‘We have refocused sports development by dwelling on the core issues that matter.”
The minister maintains that athletes and their welfare remain his top priority:
“Without the athletes winning laurels, sports will be meaningless. So we have focused on infrastructural development, the discovery and development of athletes and their welfare.
“We have also insisted on doing things right to change the ecosystem in Youth and Sports and most negative perceptions that we inherited have changed.
“We met a lot of challenges, but when we look back in a year or two we believe a lot would have changed for good.”
On the biggest challenge since assuming office he said:
“The Youth and Sports Development sector is not insulated from the challenges that characterize other ministries and sectors of the society. We inherited a lot of challenges like projects that were started and abandoned, those that were completely but made to rot away, youth unemployment and a sector that was completely neglected.
“We had to devise strategic options of tackling the problems.
“We came up with the Adopt-an -Athlete Initiative and Adopt-a-Stadium. We went into partnership with committed individuals, corporate bodies, state governments and agencies to support our athletes and address the infrastructural problems.
“These are problems that had always been there and we had to take proactive steps to tackle them.
“This strategic move has achieved a lot with states like Edo, Delta, Lagos, Anambra adopting athletes.
“Unlike in the past, money meant for athletes are paid directly into their accounts without anyone taking anything.
“This is to enable the athletes train well for the Olympics before it was postponed. Good enough, we are constantly monitoring the athletes to know how they are faring.
“With the lockdown and postponement of all sporting events, we are keeping tabs on the athletes to ensure that they use the money well and also use private indoor facilities to keep in shape.”
Speaking on infrastructure, the minister said stadiums like the MKO Abiola Stadium, National Stadiums in Lagos and Ibadan are being given a face lift by individuals, just as the Ahmadu Bello Stadium in Kaduna has been given a new look courtesy of the Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasiru El Rufai.
By Kunle Solaja.
Egyptian publication Ahram has reported an astronomical increase in prize money in all tiers of Egyptian domestic competitions.
This decision by the Egyptian Football Association to unveil what it described as the biggest prize-money package in its history for the 2025/26 season has once again thrown the spotlight on the modest financial rewards in Nigerian domestic football competitions.
Under the new structure announced by the Egyptian federation, winners of the Egypt Cup will receive EGP 2 million (approximately $37,000), while runners-up will earn about $19,000. The champions of the Egyptian Premier League are also expected to pocket EGP 5 million, estimated at about $94,000.
The package extends beyond the elite division. Clubs promoted from Egypt’s Second Division (A) will each earn roughly $19,000, while those advancing from Second Division (B) will receive close to $9,500 each.
Women’s football and youth competitions were equally accommodated. Winners of the Women’s Football League will receive about $9,500, while the Women’s Egypt Cup champions and runners-up will earn nearly $7,500 and $3,700 respectively. Youth championships across several age categories also have dedicated prize allocations running into millions of Egyptian pounds.
The Egyptian initiative is being viewed in many football circles as a deliberate attempt to improve club stability, encourage grassroots development and make domestic competitions more competitive.
For Nigerian football stakeholders, the development offers another example of how stronger financial incentives can stimulate growth in local competitions.
In Nigeria, complaints over poor prize money have persisted for years, especially in the domestic league, women’s football and youth competitions. Several clubs continue to struggle financially, while players and officials often lament inadequate rewards despite demanding schedules and rising operational costs.
Observers argue that meaningful prize money can motivate clubs to invest more seriously in infrastructure, player welfare, youth development and women’s football.
The Egyptian model also demonstrates that football development is not restricted to top-flight competitions alone. By extending financial rewards to lower divisions and youth categories, the federation appears to be creating a broader economic support system for its football ecosystem.
Many Nigerian football followers believe the Nigeria Football Federation, the Nigeria Premier Football League and corporate partners can draw valuable lessons from Egypt’s approach.
With Nigerian clubs facing increasing financial pressure and continental competitiveness declining in recent years, analysts insist that enhanced prize money could become one of the incentives needed to revive domestic football and restore greater excitement around.
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By Kunle Solaja.
Nigeria is set to host the 48th Ordinary General Assembly of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), marking the third time the country will stage the continent’s top football gathering.
The development was confirmed in a statement issued by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), which disclosed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on the sidelines of the ongoing Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, approved Nigeria’s proposal to host the event.
The approval followed a meeting between President Tinubu and CAF President Patrice Motsepe, attended by Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, NFF President Ibrahim Musa Gusau, former NFF President and Special Adviser to the CAF President Amaju Melvin Pinnick, as well as CAF Acting General Secretary Samson Adamu.
Sports Villages Square affirms that Nigeria previously hosted the CAF Congress at the National Theatre in Lagos in March 1980 and again in February 2009, when the late CAF President Issa Hayatou secured another four-year term in office.
In addition to this year’s 48th Ordinary General Assembly, scheduled for October, Nigeria also secured the hosting rights of the CAF Awards ceremony. The annual awards gala, which celebrates Africa’s top football performers, has been staged in Morocco over the past three years.
Nigeria had earlier hosted the CAF Awards when telecom firm, Globacom, was the headline sponsor. This year’s event will be the seventh to be held in Nigeria after those of 2005, 2008, 2009, 2013, 2014 and 2016.
The CAF Ordinary General Assembly traditionally attracts key football stakeholders from across the continent, including presidents of CAF’s 54 member associations, representatives of the six zonal unions and senior football administrators.
The CAF Awards ceremony is regarded as one of African football’s flagship events, honouring outstanding players, coaches, clubs and officials in a glamorous setting that showcases the continent’s football excellence.
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FIFA’s independent Ethics Committee has banned former Guyana Football Federation (GFF) General Secretary Ian Alves from all football-related activities for five years after finding he sexually harassed female staff members.
FIFA also fined Alves 20,000 Swiss francs ($22,000) after determining that he had breached provisions of the FIFA Code of Ethics relating to the protection of physical and mental integrity, abuse of position and general duties.
“FIFA has a strict stance against all forms of abuse in football,” the organisation said on Monday.
The decision followed a review of written statements from the victims, documents provided by the GFF, submissions from Alves, and other evidence gathered during the investigation.
Alves stepped down from his position in 2024.
The ban came into force on Monday, when the terms of the decision were notified to Alves, and the full grounds for the ruling will be communicated within 60 days in accordance with the Code of Ethics, FIFA added.
The GFF did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Alves could not immediately be reached for comment.
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