Governing Bodies
WINNERS EMERGE AS SJF HOLDS SECOND ANNUAL AWARDS CEREMONY
Nigeria’s foremost virtual sports community, Sports Journalist Forum, held its second annual awards ceremony on Sunday, 20 December as part of its year-end activities to recognise the professional and social contributions of members within and outside Nigeria.
The WhatsApp-based community of leading sports journalists converged virtually to select deserving winners in eight different categories through an open ballot election system that was marked by friendly banter and good-natured competition.
Leading the way was ace journalist Bode Oguntuyi who was overwhelmingly selected by his peers to become the second-ever inductee to the SJF Hall of Fame.
Mr Oguntuyi, a sports writer par excellence with vast experience across print, radio, TV and online media internationally and locally, was recognised for his decades-long service to the industry and for years of exemplary and award-winning output.
Mr. Oguntuyi who is a director at Sports Media Vision, a sports media and marketing firm, joins pioneer inductee and former Super Eagles media officer and ESPN columnist Colin Udoh in the SJF Hall of Fame.
Mr Udoh, meanwhile, retained the award for SJF Most Resourceful Member, a recognition of his constant drive to help colleagues improve and grow their craft.
Even as the SJF community extolled the virtues of its veterans, it also recognised the contributions of its younger members with a pair of Nigeria’s brightest young journalists, football expert Tobi Adepoju and LASU radio OAP Funmi Adeyemo emerging SJF Member of the Year in the male and female categories.
Mr Adepoju, a freelance journalist, leads a vanguard of Nigeria’s young generation of football reporters, while Ms Adeyemo combines her sporting expertise on radio with a mastery of the turntables as a Disc Jockey in her other life.
Port Harcourt big boy China “The Pope” Acheru was voted SJF Most Active/Peacemaker of the Year, his peers determining that a heart of gold lies behind his stern exterior and fearsome beard.
An unrivalled storyteller, Mr Acheru is a published author with his memoirs of Nigerian football, A Thousand Times On The Same Road, currently available at leading bookstores nationwide. He is currently Head of Programmes at Wish FM Port Harcourt and formerly led the NPFL Media Officers Association and the League Bloggers Association.
Ms Sarafina Napoleon, a co-host of the early morning show on Wazobia FM and sports anchor on Nigeria Info and Cool FM was returned as the queen of SJF Afterdark – a segment that runs from 10pm and where only the bravest souls tread.
Despite a surprisingly strong showing by legit.ng’s Shittu Ibitoye who this year revealed a previously hidden love for matters of the flesh, Ms Napoleon’s unparalleled mastery of the risqué and raunchy saw her retain her crown.
There was mild drama and plenty hilarity as a closely fought contest in the SJF Reporter of the Year category ended in a tie on technical grounds between last year’s recipient Kingsley Oyero and busybuddiesng.com editor Azu Umeh.
An unprecedented rerun saw Mr Umeh eventually emerge winner with Mr Oyero lauded by the entire house for his gentlemanly conduct in accepting the outcome, the absence of bitterness underlining the shared bond and genuine spirit of fraternity between members.
Awardees will be presented with N2000 recharge cards of a network of their choice, a customised NPFL jersey and a certificate.
Commenting on this year’s SJF Awards, Convener Godwin Enakhena who was voted Admin of the Year said the voting process and conduct of members holds a great lesson for Nigeria’s politicians.
While congratulating the winners, Mr Enakhena reserved special praise for Mr Oyero whose conduct he said, embodies the essence of the Sports Journalists Forum.
“I want to thank everyone who participated/voted in this year’s edition of SJF Awards. You all made it a huge success,” Mr Enakhena said.
“SJF might be a small WhatsApp group but what happened during and after the elections proved that we’ve a lot of noble men and women on the platform, as we agreed to disagree. It wasn’t a matter of life and death unlike what happens in partisan politics in our nation.
“We didn’t turn the platform upside down, and this shows maturity and a lesson for our politicians,” he added.
“While we congratulate all the winners, I want to salute Kingsley Oyero most especially for the candor and sportsmanship he displayed when the call for a rerun was decided and for accepting the outcome of the rerun and even congratulating the eventual winner. You earned alot of people’s respect because of this, Koyero.”
The 2020 SJF Awards was the first in a series of year-end events that will culminate in an end of year party on 30 December, 2020 at LASCOFIS, Ikeja, with all Covid-19 protocols strictly adhered to.
Full list of winners at 2020 SJF Awards
1) SJF Member of the Year (Male) – Tobi Adepoju
2) SJF Member of the Year (Female) – Funmi Adeyemo
3) SJF Admin of the Year – Godwin Enakhena
4) SJF Reporter of the Year – Azu Umeh
5) SJF Afterdark Member of the Year – Sarafina Napoleon
6) SJF Hall of Fame Award – Bode Oguntuyi
7) SJF Most Resourceful Member – Colin Udoh
8) SJF Most Active/Peacemaker – China Acheru
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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