Governing Bodies
Japanese Government offer Nigerian gymnasts scholarships
Morinari Watanabe’s campaign to be re-elected President of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) continues to benefit from the full backing of the Japanese Government.
Last month, insidethegames revealed exclusively that Japan was using its Embassies around Europe to drum up support for Watanabe.
Now it has emerged that Japan has struck a deal with the Gymnastics Federation of Nigeria (GFN) to help train its young athletes.
GFN President Prince Kelvin Erhunwmunse revealed that the promise of support was made during Watanabe’s second visit to the African country as he tries to seal a second term as FIG President.
Watanabe was accompanied during his visit by Matsunaga Kazuyoshi, Japan’s Ambassador in Abuja.
“The coming of the President FIG, Morinari Watanabe to Nigeria has been very impactful because we were together with the Honourable Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Chief Sunday Dare in Japan where commitments were made,” Erhunwmunse told Nigerian newspaper the Daily Trust.
“Nigeria gymnasts will gain scholarships to Japan to study and train.
“This has been sealed with the Japanese Ambassador.
“The training will among other things not only enhance the capacity building of the coaches/official, but also help improve the commitment of the gymnasts towards the game because of the conducive learning environment.
“Nigerians should expect more qualifications of gymnasts for the African, Commonwealth and Olympic Games.
“More equipment will be coming into Nigeria because a few weeks ago, the President of FIG, Morinari Watanabe was in Nigeria for the second time and a lot of promises were made.
“The Gymnastics Federation of Nigeria is moving to the next level.”
Watanabe claimed that his visit to Nigeria was aimed at encouraging the development of gymnastics in Africa and was not linked to his re-election campaign.
“The African Olympic Union invited me to attend its 40th anniversary in Abuja,” he told insidethegames.
“During this event, I was awarded a medal for contributing to the development of gymnastics in Africa.
“As FIG President, I often visited African countries to encourage gymnastics development on the continent, where the sport is underrepresented.
“That is part of the long FIG’s tradition of supporting the smaller gymnastics federations and offering assistance.
“I visited the facilities of the Nigerian Gymnastics Federation.
“I met a talented male gymnast, and I suggested that he could apply for Japan’s official sports development programme called ‘Sports for Tomorrow’ to train in Japan.
“Over the past years, several federations have used this governmental programme offering ordinary support for developing countries.
“Nigeria already held training camps in Japan twice – in 2016 and 2018 – thanks to this programme.”
Uche Eke made history at Tokyo 2020 when he became the first gymnast to represent Nigeria in the Olympic Games.
The United States-born 2019 African Games gold medallist failed to reach the final of any discipline in artistic gymnastics and ranked 58th overall in qualifying.
The 62-year-old Watanabe was elected as the new President of FIG in 2016 to replace Italy’s Bruno Grandi, who had stepped down following 20 years as head of the organisation.
Watanabe had been due to stand for re-election last year but was given an extra 12 months due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
He is set to face a challenge from European Gymnastics President Farid Gayibov at the re-arranged FIG Congress, due to take place between November 5 and 7 in Turkish resort Antalya.
The Azeri had unseated Georges Guelzec to be voted European Gymnastics President in 2017 a year after the Frenchman had suffered a crushing defeat to Watanabe in the FIG election.
Watanabe is the ninth President of FIG and the first Asian to lead the organisation in its 140-year history.
-insidethegames
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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