Governing Bodies
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE HISTORY-MAKING GOLDEN EAGLETS? -FIFA
Nigeria won the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2013 and 2015. FIFA takes a look at what some triumphant Golden Eaglets have gone on to achieve.. One has become the most expensive African footballer in history They were the back-to-back tournaments that catapulted Nigeria above Brazil and into the throne as the record five-time FIFA U-17 World Cup™ winners.
At UAE 2013, the Golden Eaglets averaged a staggering 3.7 goals per game en route to their fourth crown, before 3.3 per game propelled them to its defence at Chile 2015.
On the fifth anniversary of the latter’s final in Vina del Mar, we look at what five members of those prodigious classes have gone on to achieve.
Kelechi Iheanacho
The Taye Academy starlet struck four goals in Nigeria’s curtain-raising 6-1 win over Mexico, and was on target against the same opponents in a 3-0 victory in the UAE 2013 final. He finished Chile 2013 with six goals, seven assists, the adidas Silver Boot and adidas Golden Ball.
Iheanacho’s performances by the Arabian Peninsula left a who’s who of European giants vying for his signature. Manchester City seized it, but the striker found playing time tough to come by due to the presence of Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus – both of whom have starred at FIFA youth tournaments – so he joined Leicester City in 2017. Iheanacho has netted three goals and two assists in two starts in the UEFA Europa League this season.
The 24-year-old started Nigeria’s last two games at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia and has scored nine goals in 27 internationals overall.
Francis Uzoho
Despite only playing in goal for the first time when he was 12, at 14 he served as deputy to Dele Alampasu at UAE 2013.
Uzoho became, at 18 years and 352 days, the youngest-ever foreign goalkeeper to play in La Liga. After a few loan spells, he is now at APOEL in Cyprus.
The 6ft 5ins Nwangele native kept goal for Nigeria in all three of their matches at Russia 2018, keeping a clean sheet against Iceland and impressing against Lionel Messi and Argentina.
Kelechi Nwakali
The multifunctional midfielder, who hails from the same city as Nwankwo Kanu, Owerri, won the adidas Golden Ball at Chile 2015.
Nwakali joined Arsenal in 2016, but relocated to Huesca last year and helped them win promotion to La Liga. He represented Nigeria in a friendly against Atletico Madrid in May 2018, but despite scoring a spectacular goal did not make their squad for the following month’s World Cup.
Victor Osimhen
Osimhen hit ten goals at Chile 2015, breaking the nine-goal record for a FIFA U-17 World Cup shared by Florent Sinama Pongolle and Souleymane Coulibaly. The Ultimate Strikers Academy player also become the first champion to have scored in all his team’s matches.
Things didn’t work out for Osimhen at Wolfsburg, but in the colours of Lille he finished as the joint-fourth leading scorer in Ligue 1 last season, alongside Neymar and behind Moussa Dembele, Kylian Mbappe and leading marksman Wissam Ben Yedder.
The 21-year-old recently made a move to Napoli and scored his first goal for the club with a fine strike against Atalanta.
DId you know?
The €70m Napoli paid Lille for Osimhen made him the most expensive African footballer in history, breaking the fee Manchester City paid Leicester City for Riyad Mahrez.
Samuel Chukwueze
The dazzling winger registered three goals, three assists and won the adidas Bronze Ball at Chile 2015.
Rapid and tricky, Chukwueze is known as ‘The Nigerian Robben’. He made a brilliant impact in his first two seasons at Villarreal, and scored in the Super Eagles’ 2-1 win over South Africa that sent them into last year’s CAF Africa Cup of Nations semi-finals.
Did you know?
When Chukwueze was a kid, his family urged him to stop neglecting his studies to play football, but he didn’t listen. Their reaction? “They burned my boots!” he said. “All my training gear, they burnt them too so I couldn’t play.”
-FIFA
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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