Governing Bodies
FLASHBACK: NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT SACKS FOOTBALL GOVERNING BOARD
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
Government interference in the running of football in Nigeria has been a recurring decimal for close to three decades.
Yet, it was not so many years ago as the then Nigeria Football Association (NFA) was an independent body. But all that changed on this date, 10 May in 1962.
It was on that day that the Nigerian government intervened in the running of the football governing body of the country for the first time since the NFA was founded in 1933 (not 1945 as erroneously being believed).
Chief Joseph Modupe Johnson, better known as JMJ who was the Minister for Labour and Welfare and also in charge of sports announced the dissolution of the then NFA and constituted an eight-man caretaker committee.
That was the sack that changed the course of history, being the first governmental interference in the running of the NFA.
Oblivious of what was in the offing, the NFA members head by its chairman, Francis Sodolamu Ogunmuyiwa attended a hurriedly called meeting by the minister.
Other NFA members then were Fred Anisha, the vice chairman, Adetayo Awolesi, the secretary, Israel Adebajo, the treasurer and Alhaji Saliu. They were all elected at the poll conducted on 26 March 1961.
After levying allegations of fund misappropriation and lack of administrative skills, the minister, Modupe Johnson announced the dissolution of the board and appointed a eight-man caretaker committee to run football in Nigeria.
The Acting Deputy Inspector General of Police, Louis Edet who later became the first Nigerian Inspector General, headed the committee. The Police Headquarters in Abuja is named after him.
Other members included M.E.K Roberts, a deputy commissioner of Police and Brig. Sam Ademulegun who was killed in the first coup in Nigeria. The committee also had Commodore Joseph Edet Akinwale Wey, a former footballer who later rose to the position of Vice admiral and Chief of Naval Staff.
He also served at various times as acting Foreign minister and Chief of Staff of the Supreme Headquarters, making him the de facto Vice President during General Yakubu Gowon’s regime.
Also in the first appointed board of the NFA were Mustapha Adewale and Pius Anthony. The later, whose previous name was Pius Quist, was of Ghanaian descent and had been the first African to head the NFA in 1955.
The other members were Luke Emejulu, the secretary and Alhaji Koguma.
Francis Ogunmuyiwa, the chairman of the sacked NFA board initially queried the minister’s power to summon the meeting in which the sack was announced. He cited sections of the NFA constitution to back his claims.
The minister responded that the government considered public interest in taking the action. He pointed out that government was not going to take back seat in sports again.
The minister disclosed that the Ogunmuyiwa team took off with a balance of £8,500 but incurred a debt of £9,900. He emphasized that if the team were to go on, the gulf would continue to widen.
He also revealed that the Federal Government gave a loan of £9,900 to the NFA. No previous administration of the NFA had asked for Federal Government’s aid.
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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FIFA President Gianni Infantino said on Thursday that he planned to seek re-election for a fourth term in a bid to continue to lead the governing body of world soccer.
Infantino confirmed he would run for the 2027–2031 term in the closing moments of the FIFA Congress in Vancouver, which comes less than two months before the start of the World Cup.
The election will be held on March 18 in Morocco, which is set to co-host the 2030 World Cup.
Infantino said he was “honoured and humbled” to have the chance to run for a fourth term.
The Italian-Swiss took office in 2016, replacing Sepp Blatter, and was re-elected unopposed in 2019 and 2023.
Infantino has pushed for the expansion of FIFA competitions during his tenure, with this year’s World Cup in North America the first to feature 48 teams, while the women’s tournament in 2023 has been expanded to 32 teams.
Infantino’s tenure has also drawn some criticism over issues such as high World Cup ticket prices and the decision to award the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize to U.S. President Donald Trump at the World Cup draw in December.
Earlier this month, the council of South American football’s governing body (CONMEBOL) said in a statement it would unanimously support the 56-year-old if he decided to seek another term.
-Reuters
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The supporters of Vancouver Whitecaps, a professional football (soccer) club in Canada, have staged a protest outside the FIFA Congress on Thursday, voicing fears that the Major League Soccer club could be relocated as uncertainty deepens over its ownership and long-term future.
The club is one of Canada’s most historic football institutions and has long been a central part of Vancouver’s sporting identity.
Around 100 fans gathered as delegates arrived for the annual FIFA meeting in Vancouver, chanting, singing and waving club flags in a show of solidarity. The demonstration comes just days after Vancouver Whitecaps FC revealed difficulties in securing a buyer willing to keep the club in the city.
The Whitecaps disclosed earlier this week that “stadium economics, venue access and revenue limitations” have complicated efforts to sell the club, despite a 16-month search for new ownership.
Season ticket holder Derek Hawksworth said supporters felt compelled to act amid growing fears of relocation.
“I wanted to come down given the threat of the team possibly moving,” he said. “It’s a rich history with the Whitecaps in North America… we want Vancouver to stay and not relocate. The history is here, and we want to continue with that history moving forward.”
The Vancouver Whitecaps are a professional football (soccer) club based in Vancouver, Canada. They currently compete in Major League Soccer (MLS), the top-tier league in the United States and Canada.
Concerns were heightened by reports that cities such as Las Vegas and Phoenix are leading contenders should the club relocate.
Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim has urged intervention, calling on the provincial government — which owns BC Place — to negotiate a “bridge deal” that would allow the team to remain while plans for a new stadium are explored. The club’s current lease at BC Place expires at the end of the year.
Despite the off-field uncertainty, the Whitecaps have been one of the standout teams this MLS season. They currently sit second in the Western Conference with 24 points from nine matches, just three points behind the San Jose Earthquakes.
For supporters, however, performances on the pitch offer little comfort as the future of their club hangs in the balance — a situation they hope global football leaders gathering in Vancouver will not ignore.
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