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
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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