Governing Bodies
Nigeria Football Federation clocks 88 years today
BY KUNLE SOLAJA
At 7pm this Saturday 21 August 20, 2021, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) will 88 years since it was established, even though officially, the body thinks it is 76 on an unknown date this year as reflected in its emblem – “Founded 1945”.
As it is this year, the anniversary of Nigeria’s football governing body has always passed unnoticed, owing to improper record keeping which has made officials to erroneously take the body’s foundation to be an undisclosed day in 1945.
It is a burden that has been carried on by various regimes of the Nigerian football governing body.
“Founded 1945” now adorns the badge of the NFF. But no fact exists to back up the 1945 dateless claim, except the general belief that the Governor’s Cup which changed to Challenge Cup, later the Coca-Cola FA Cup and the Federation Cup and now AITEO was instituted that year.
Efforts to enunciate the facts on what was previously known as the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) to the successive boards since 2003 had always been rebuffed.
But www.sportsvillagesquare.com asserts that verifiable archival materials have revealed that the NFF was founded at 7pm on Monday August 21, 1933, at house number 42, Broad Street, Lagos. The building still exists.
All the facts on the actual foundation date are verifiable and still exist. The facts were passed to the former Minister of Sports, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi and the immediate former NFF president, Alhaji Aminu Maigari as well as his successor.
The same have been passed to the immediate former sports minister, Solomon Dalung who promised to look into it.
All are possibly still studying the documents presented to them. The documents had earlier been presented to the regimes of the then NFA/NFF – Ibrahim Galadima and Sani Ahmed Lulu as well as a former minister of Sports, Abdulrahman Hassan Gimba in 2008.
A presentation of the documents was made to the Alhaji Ibrahim Galadima-led NFA board on April 9, 2003. This was followed by a similar presentation to Alhaji Sani Lulu board on March 6, 2007, at the Lagos liaison office of the NFF.
There has been no official reaction as all just promised to look into the documents. Alhaji Aminu Maigari was more receptive to dig a little bit into the documented evidences provided, but he was overwhelmed by the crisis that trailed the tail end of his tenure.
The current NFF president, Amaju Pinnick also has the documents since June 7, 2017, but no official reaction at the moment. He however told a gathering at the launch of “History of Nigeria Football’ written by Wiebe Boer that the issue of the foundation date of the NFF would be tabled before the congress of the NFF.
Most of the evidences on the actual foundation date of the Nigerian football governing body can be found at the Department of National Archives at the University of Ibadan.
The August 21, 1933 edition of the Nigerian Daily Times, which later changed to Daily Times, carried the advertisement of the meeting of football enthusiasts who planned to form a central organisation to be named Nigeria Football Association.
It called on interested people to attend. The venue was the Health Office, 42 Broad Street, Lagos. The building still exists as the Lagos Island Local Government Primary Health Clinic.
Four days later, the foundation of the NFA was reported in the Nigerian Daily Times of Friday, August 25, 1933, under the headline: “Nigeria Football Association.”
It was reported that 30 delegates attended the foundation of the NFA. One Henry A. Porter was appointed the first ever NFA boss.
He went by the title: ‘President.’ Porter was also the founding chairman of the LDAFA (now Lagos FA) in 1932, and secretary of the Public Works Department (PWD) club.
An architect, historical facts about the Centenary Hall in Abeokuta, Ogun State also revealed that Porter who was the senior architect at Public Works Department (PWD) also designed the historical building in Abeokuta.
Other pioneer officials of the then NFA included three vice presidents –Adeyemo Alakija, Dr. Isaac Ladipo Oluwole and Baron Frederick Mulford (a white expatriate fondly called Baba Eko).
Joseph Mead was the pioneer secretary. According to the newspaper report, the NFA had 10 affiliated clubs at its foundation. They were Abeokuta and nine Lagos teams that accepted to become parent clubs.
The nine founding parent clubs were Afric, Olympics, Health, PWD, Muslims, Railway Institute, Marine, Spalding and UAC.
The only definite refusal among Lagos- based clubs to become a parent club was the Police club which argued that a national association was an approach towards professionalism.
At that time, even up to the 1950s, professional football was scornfully regarded. For instance, in an article in the Sunday Times of September, 20 1953, NFA Secretary, R.B. Allen, never hid his hatred for professional football as it was regarded as capable of corrupting players.
The maiden annual general meeting of the NFA was fixed for January 1934. But it did not hold until Monday, February19, 1934.
A half page upright positioned report of the first annual general meeting of body was published in the Nigerian Daily Times edition of February 22, 1934, which is also available at the Department of National Archives at the University of Ibadan.
The secretary, Mead, complained that the response to invitations issued to clubs and districts to become members was poor.
He read a report dealing with efforts to popularise the idea of a national association. Mead stated that principal centres had been contracted on the aims and objectives of the NFA. But it seemed it was not a popular idea.
The newspaper account of the first Annual General Meeting of the then NFA revealed that the only definite acceptance of invitation to become district associations was from Abeokuta, Lagos Amateur and Lagos European Amateur Associations while Ijebu Ode promised to inaugurate a district association and league in the following season.
But more significantly, Mead reportedly told the meeting that an application had been forwarded to The Football Association (The FA) in London for affiliation.
That led www.sportsvillagesquare.com to another opening in the search for the true origin of what is now known as the NFF. A letter was dispatched to The Football Association in England by this reporter.
David Berber, the Public Affairs Officer at The FA in a response dated April 2, 1996, wrote in part: “I can advise that the name of the Nigeria Football Association first appeared in the FA Handbook for the season 1938-39 in the list of our affiliated associations. The NFA secretary at that time was F.B Mulford, with a Lagos address.”
That is an indication that the body had existed before 1945.
The National Institute for Sports (NIS) has announced plans to establish its South-West Zonal Office in Ogun State, citing the state’s outstanding commitment to sports development and youth empowerment.
The Director General of the institute, Philip Shaibu, made this known during a courtesy visit to Governor Dapo Abiodun at the Governor’s Office in Abeokuta, where both parties held what was described as a highly productive discussion on strengthening sports education and development across the region.
Shaibu disclosed that the decision was formalised in a letter to the governor dated October 10, 2025, in which the NIS outlined its ongoing institutional reforms under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
These reforms, he said, include the digitisation of training systems, expansion of coaching certification programmes, and the establishment of sports science laboratories to enhance research and professional development.
He added that Ogun State’s strategic investment in youth and sports infrastructure, coupled with its historical role as the “Gateway to Nigeria,” made it a natural choice for hosting the zonal office that will serve the entire South-West region.
In his response, Governor Abiodun expressed delight at the development, describing it as a significant milestone in his administration’s efforts to promote grassroots sports and talent discovery.
“This decision aligns perfectly with our vision to make Ogun State a leading hub for sports excellence,” the governor said. “We are fully committed to supporting the National Institute for Sports in ensuring the successful take-off and operation of this zonal office.”
Governor Abiodun also reaffirmed this commitment in a post on his X (formerly Twitter) handle, noting that the siting of the NIS Zonal Office in Abeokuta underscores Ogun State’s strategic importance in sports development and youth empowerment within the South-West geo-political zone.
He added: “We assure the NIS leadership of our government’s full cooperation and support toward the successful take-off of this zonal office. This initiative aligns with our vision to promote grassroots sports, talent development, and youth engagement. We look forward to a strong and enduring partnership with the National Institute for Sports as we continue to make Ogun State a true Gateway to sporting excellence and opportunities.”
The establishment of the NIS South-West Zonal Office is expected to further decentralise sports administration, enhance capacity building for coaches and athletes, and strengthen collaboration between the institute and state governments in the region.
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The FIFA Museum in Zurich has launched a new special exhibition titled Innovation in Action: Football Technologies on and off the Pitch, offering visitors an unprecedented glimpse into how innovation is transforming the world’s most popular sport.
Opened on Monday, October 1, 2025, the immersive showcase was developed in collaboration with the FIFA Innovation Team and other departments within world football’s governing body. It explores how cutting-edge technology supports players, referees, and fans—enhancing performance, ensuring fairness, and enriching the overall football experience—while preserving the game’s passion and human spirit.
“What makes this exhibition truly special is that we can give visitors a never-before-seen behind-the-scenes look that allows them to step inside football innovation, experiencing it hands-on rather than just reading about it,” said Marco Fazzone, Managing Director of the FIFA Museum. “We offer a glimpse at technologies and tools that fans don’t normally get to experience up close, while also showing how innovation has evolved over almost 100 years of FIFA World Cup history.”
Organised around five themed sections — Broadcasting & Media, Intelligent Data, Refereeing & Fair Play, Staging the Game, and the Innovation Lab — the exhibition blends rare artefacts with interactive displays. Visitors can relive football’s broadcast evolution, from the black-and-white footage of the 1954 World Cup to today’s ultra-slow motion 4K replays, and even step into a virtual referee booth to experience the pressures of officiating in real time.
Among the standout features is the FIFA Player App, which allows fans to explore Chelsea star Cole Palmer’s performance statistics from the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 Final, illustrating how data helps players refine their craft.
Another exhibit showcases Canada goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan’s water bottle from the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 — marked with opponents’ penalty data — revealing how analytics influence critical moments.
Visitors can also view a referee body camera used at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025, giving a fresh perspective on decision-making from the official’s point of view.
The exhibition invites visitors to engage directly with football technology. They can test their reflexes and judgment as referees, operate goal-line technology systems, or assume the role of a broadcast director managing live match feeds. Data enthusiasts can analyse player movements, while aspiring innovators can design their own football tech concepts inside the Innovation Lab.
Innovation in Action runs until 31 March 2026 at the FIFA Museum in Zurich. Entry is included with a standard museum ticket.
With its rich mix of storytelling, interactivity, and history, the exhibition promises to be a must-see experience for anyone passionate about the future of the beautiful game.
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FIFA President Gianni Infantino said on Thursday that football could not solve conflicts, but it must carry a message of peace and unity as Israel’s military operation in Gaza and other global tensions fuel calls for the sport to take a stand.
“At FIFA, we are committed to using the power of football to bring people together in a divided world,” Infantino told a FIFA Council meeting in Zurich where he met Palestinian federation president Jibril Rajoub.
“Our thoughts are with those who are suffering in the many conflicts that exist around the world today, and the most important message that football can convey right now is one of peace and unity.”
Infantino said world football’s governing body could not solve geopolitical crises, but “it can and must promote football around the world by harnessing its unifying, educational, cultural and humanitarian values.”
“I met Palestinian Football Association (PFA) President Jibril Rajoub today at the Home of FIFA in Zurich to discuss the ongoing situation in the Middle East region,” Infantino later wrote on Instagram.
“I commend President Rajoub and the PFA for their resilience at this time and I reiterated to him FIFA’s commitment to using the power of football to bring people together in a divided world.”
FIFA has faced repeated calls to act over the war in Gaza, with Palestinian officials pressing for Israel to be suspended from international football.
The issue has been under review by FIFA for months, but no decision has been taken. Infantino has consistently said such matters require consensus with the confederations and must be handled with caution.
The comments came a day after FIFA Vice President Victor Montagliani noted that any decision over Israel’s participation in European competitions, including World Cup qualifiers, was a matter for UEFA to decide, effectively putting the onus on the European body.
“First and foremost, it (Israel) is a member of UEFA, no different than I have to deal with a member of my region for whatever reason… They have to deal with that,” Montagliani told reporters at the Leaders sports business conference on Wednesday.
Israel are third in Europe’s Group I of the qualifying stage for next year’s World Cup in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Amnesty International on Wednesday sent a letter to FIFA and UEFA calling on them to suspend the Israel Football Association.
-Reuters
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