Governing Bodies
THIS DAY IN HISTORY: NIGERIA’S FIRST NATIONAL TEAM ARRIVES UK
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
On this date, 29 August 1949, Nigeria’s first national football team, simply tagged ‘UK Tourists’ arrived Liverpool on a goodwill tour of the United Kingdom.
It was the first time, an African or team from any Black country visited England.
Unlike today’s jet-travelling footballers, the pioneers travelled third class aboard RMSS Apapa and had to run four times round the deck every morning to keep fit during the 13-day voyage before arriving Liverpool at 8.30am on Monday, 29 August 1949.
They were scheduled to play nine matches against fellow amateur sides in the four weeks they were to stay in the UK.
The 18 players were dressed in grey trousers and olive green blazers with a badge emblazoned with the initials NFA and with ‘United Kingdom 1949’ woven underneath.
On arrival, John Finch, a former Fulham forward, who had been appointed as the coach, met them. There was also a welcome message from the Duke of Edinburgh.
On disembarking, the players and the officials were interviewed by the BBC radio on newsreel followed by the pressmen.
Okoronkwo Kanu, Etim Henshaw, Dan Anyiam, Isaac Akioye, John Dankaro and Sokari Dokubo send messages for broadcast in English, Efik, Ibo, Yoruba, Hausa and Kalabari respectively.
That was where the story of Nigeria’s Super Eagles began. Without the famed UK Tourists, perhaps, there would not have been the Super Eagles of today.
Sadly, all the 18 players and their officials led by Captain Donald H. Holley and every other person connected with the trip are now dead.
Holley who was also the NFA chairman at the time died in December 1956. Barely eight months later, a member of the team, Ahmed Tijani Ottun, committed suicide by drowning in the Lagos lagoon on 6 August 1957, ostensibly out of frustration.
It was reported that he drowned himself in the Lagos lagoon after returning from the England in later years but could not find a job that was commensurate with his new status and acquired skills.
The last survivor and the first choice goalkeeper, Sam Ibiam died 1 December 2015, aged 91.
Tesilimi Balogun, the arrowhead of the attack died in Ibadan on 30 July 1972 in Ibadan.
Vice captain of the side and Nigeria’s first national indigenous coach, Dan Anyiam died mysteriously in his car on 6 July 1977. Isiaku Aremu, popularly called ‘Baba Shittu’, died on 28 March 1985.
Olisah Chukwurah who became a legal luminary and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), died on 3 September 2001. Isaac Akioye who later became the Director of Sports at the National Sports Commission (NSC) died in February 2007.
Mesembe Otu, a right winger in the squad followed in October 2007. There were scanty information on Okoronkwo Kanu who coincidentally hailed from the same Arochukwu area of Abia State in Eastern Nigeria like the more popular Nwankwo Kanu, but the later said there was no connection.
He, like Hope Lawson who was believed to have hailed from the South West Cameroon, the Anglophone part of the Nigerian eastern neighbours which was then part of Nigeria, could not be accounted for.
Another player who cannot be accounted for is Titus Okere, the left winger who perhaps made the greatest impression to the British. A newspaper reported then that he was worth £15,000 and a row of houses.
Little wonder he was the first Nigerian player to sign a professional football contract in 1952, three years after the UK tour. He signed for Swindon Town FC. It is believed he never returned to Nigeria and nothing was heard about him since
Governing Bodies
FIFA opens disciplinary proceedings against Congo officials over financial misconduct
FIFA’s ethics committee launched disciplinary proceedings against three senior Congolese Football Federation (FECOFOOT) officials on Wednesday, including president Jean-Guy Mayolas, over allegations of financial misconduct.
Mayolas, his wife and his son were sentenced to life in prison earlier this month after a criminal court in the Congolese capital, Brazzaville, convicted them of embezzling $1.1 million in FIFA funds. Media reports said their whereabouts were not known , and they were tried in absentia.
FECOFOOT general secretary Wantete Badji and treasurer Raoul Kanda are also subject to the disciplinary proceedings, FIFA said. Badji and Kanda were sentenced to five years each in prison by the court in Brazzaville for related charges.
“These proceedings follow the receipt of information and documents during an audit,” FIFA said in a statement.
-Reuters
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The World Anti-Doping Agency is considering rewriting its rules to try barring President Donald Trump and all U.S. government officials from attending the LA Olympics in 2028, in a move that could also have implications for the World Cup being hosted by the U.S. this summer.
The proposal, on the agenda for next Tuesday’s meeting of the global drug-fighting watchdog’s executive committee, is the latest manoeuvre to come out of a yearslong refusal of the U.S. government to pay its annual dues to WADA.
The refusal is part of the American government’s unanimous, bipartisan protest of the agency’s handling of a case involving Chinese swimmers and other issues.
The Associated Press learned of the agenda item through correspondence it obtained between WADA and European officials involved in the agency’s decision-making. Two others with knowledge of the agenda confirmed the existence of the rules proposal to AP; they were not authorised to speak publicly about the agenda, which has not been released publicly.
The proposal was, in fact, first brought up in 2024, when U.S. authorities successfully lobbied for its rejection. The U.S. has since lost its seat on the executive committee.
“In spite of WADA’s increasing threats, we continue to stand firm in our demand for accountability and transparency from WADA to ensure fair competition in sport,” said Sara Carter, the director of the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP).
The rule, if passed, would figure to be mostly symbolic, given the limits an international sports federation could have on the president of a country attending an event inside his own borders.
“I have never heard of a $50-million-budget Swiss foundation being able to enforce a rule to, for example, prevent the United States president from going anywhere,” said Carter’s predecessor at ONDCP, Rahul Gupta, who was on the WADA executive committee two years ago and led the movement to reject the proposal. “And the next question you have to ask is: How are you going to enforce it? Are they going to post a red notice from Interpol? It’s ludicrous. It’s clear they have not thought this through.”
In a news release after this story published, WADA said the AP story was “entirely misleading,” focusing on Fitzgerald’s statement to the AP that if proposals being discussed were “introduced, given that the rules would not apply retroactively, the FIFA World Cup, LA and Salt Lake City Games (in 2034) would not be covered.”
Fitzgerald’s only answer to three emails from AP seeking clarification on his initial response — specifically about how a rule that had not yet been adopted could or couldn’t be applied retroactively on events that are scheduled for the future — was: “I’m trying to say that it would not apply retroactively so those events would not be covered. Given that and the next meeting of the Board being scheduled for November, I don’t see how it could come into play for this year’s World Cup.”
-AP
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The Confederation of African Football has dismissed Yasin Osman Robleh, the Djiboutian official who headed its judicial bodies for the past six years, in a move aimed at restoring confidence in the organisation’s disciplinary processes.
According to reports from convergence sources, the decision was confirmed on Saturday by CAF Secretary General Veron Mosengo-Omba, bringing an abrupt end to Robleh’s tenure overseeing the confederation’s disciplinary and investigative committees since 2019.
Robleh’s position reportedly came under increasing pressure following the controversy surrounding sanctions imposed after the Africa Cup of Nations Final between Morocco and Senegal. The disciplinary decisions that followed the match sparked criticism from several quarters and placed CAF’s legal framework under intense scrutiny.
In response to the situation, CAF’s Executive Committee has appointed Togolese lawyer Cedric Egai, currently the confederation’s Director of Legal Affairs, as interim head of the judicial bodies.
Egai is expected to stabilise the organisation’s legal arm while CAF works toward appointing a permanent successor to Robleh.
Disciplinary Decisions Delayed
The leadership change has already affected ongoing disciplinary processes within the confederation. CAF’s disciplinary committee reportedly held hearings last Thursday on several cases, including the high-profile encounter involving Egypt’s Al Ahly and Morocco’s AS FAR.
However, decisions on those matters have been temporarily put on hold pending the confirmation of new leadership within the judicial structure.
Sources indicate that once a permanent successor is appointed, CAF will move swiftly to conclude outstanding disciplinary rulings affecting both clubs and national teams.
Restoring Confidence
The move is widely seen as part of CAF’s effort to restore confidence in its judicial system following weeks of controversy surrounding disciplinary decisions at major competitions.
Robleh’s departure closes a significant chapter in CAF’s legal administration, while Egai’s interim appointment signals a potential shift in leadership and governance at a critical time for African football.
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