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
World football governing body, FIFA, today clocks its 122nd anniversary, celebrating more than a century of overseeing and expanding the global game.
Founded on May 21, 1904, in Paris, France, FIFA began with just seven member associations — France, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
From that modest beginning, the organisation has grown into the most influential sports governing body in the world, with 211 member associations spread across all continents.
Over the decades, FIFA has transformed football into a truly global phenomenon through competitions such as the FIFA World Cup, Women’s World Cup, Club World Cup, youth tournaments, and developmental programmes aimed at growing the game worldwide.
The organisation has also witnessed remarkable milestones, including the expansion of the men’s World Cup from 13 teams in 1930 to 48 teams beginning from the 2026 edition to be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
FIFA’s journey has equally reflected football’s growing influence beyond sport, with the game becoming a major tool for diplomacy, social inclusion, youth empowerment, and economic development across the world.
As FIFA celebrates 122 years of existence, attention is now focused on the future of the game, technological innovations, expanded competitions, women’s football growth, and the continued globalisation of football.
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UEFA has issued a lifetime ban to Petr Vlachovsky, a Czech women’s soccer coach who secretly filmed his players, the governing body announced on Tuesday.
Czech media reported that the coach was convicted in May 2025 and initially received a suspended one-year prison sentence and a five-year domestic coaching ban for filming FC Slovacko’s players in changing rooms, the youngest of whom was 17.
In a statement, UEFA’s Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body (CEDB) said it had decided to ban Vlachovsky “from exercising any football-related activity for life” following the appointment of an Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector to investigate allegations of potential misconduct.
“The CEDB further decided to request FIFA to extend the abovementioned ban on a worldwide level and to order the Football Association of the Czech Republic to revoke Mr Petr Vlachovsky’s coaching licence,” the statement added.
FC Slovacko did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
Football players’ union FIFPRO welcomed the ban as well as UEFA’s request for world soccer governing body FIFA to impose an international ban on Vlachovsky.
“This outcome sends a strong and necessary message that abusive and inappropriate behaviour has no place in football and that safeguarding the well-being of players must remain a priority at every level of the game,” FIFPRO added in a statement.
Vlachovsky had also previously served as coach of the Czech women’s Under-19s team.
RELATED STORY: https://sportsvillagesquare.com/2026/04/08/outrage-as-male-coach-who-secretly-filmed-women-players-still-free-to-work-in-football/
-Reuters
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Southampton have been kicked out of the Championship playoff final after being found guilty of spying on semi-final opponents Middlesbrough, the English Football League said on Tuesday.
Middlesbrough, who lost 2-1 to Southampton on aggregate in the semi, have been reinstated and will face Hull City on Saturday in what is dubbed the world’s richest soccer match.
Promotion to the Premier League, even with an immediate relegation, is estimated to be worth in the region of 200 million pounds ($268.10 million) over three seasons.
Southampton, who admitted the charges, were also found guilty of filming training sessions involving Oxford United in December and Ipswich Town in April during the regular season.
They have also been deducted four points from the start of next season in England’s second tier.
“An Independent Disciplinary Commission has today expelled Southampton from the Championship play-offs after the club admitted multiple breaches of EFL regulations related to the unauthorised filming of other clubs’ training,” the EFL said.
“Southampton admitted breaches of Regulations requiring Clubs to act with the utmost good faith and prohibiting the observation of another Club’s training session within 72 hours of a scheduled match.
“The effect of today’s order is that Middlesbrough are reinstated into the 2026 play-offs and will proceed to the play-off final against Hull City. The final remains scheduled for Saturday 23 May, with the kick-off time to be confirmed.”
The EFL confirmed that Southampton could appeal against the decision and that “parties are working to try and resolve any appeal on Wednesday 20 May.
“Subject to the outcome, it could result in a further change to Saturday’s fixture,” the statement said.
‘BORO CALLED FOR SOUTHAMPTON EXPULSION
Middlesbrough had called for Southampton’s expulsion after having a training session at their Rockliffe Park site filmed 48 hours ahead of the first leg of their playoff semi-final with Southampton which ended 0-0.
The north-east club said they welcomed the decision.
“We believe this sends out a clear message for the future of our game regarding sporting integrity and conduct,” the north Middlesbrough said in a statement.
“As a club, we are now focused on our game against Hull City at Wembley on Saturday.”
Southampton were relegated from the Premier League last season and were struggling in the early part of this campaign until a storming finish in which they went unbeaten in 19 league games to finish fourth and enter the playoffs.
The south-coast club are the first to fall foul of the Football League’s regulation 127 — brought in after Leeds United were found guilty of spying on Derby County seven years ago, an offence for which they were fined 200,000 pounds.
-Reuters
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