Governing Bodies
Nigeria’s Sylvester Igboun is first African footballer to depart Russia
Nigeria international Sylvester Igboun has become the first African footballer to leave the Russian Premier League as a result of the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The 31-year-old forward has taken advantage of a Fifa rule allowing foreign players to leave the country, and has terminated his contract with FK Nizhny Novgorod.
Igboun, whose deal expires at the end of the season, only joined Nizhny Novgorod last month after leaving Dynamo Moscow by mutual consent.
“Sylvester has cancelled his contract because of the ongoing problem between Russia and Ukraine,” one of Igboun’s advisers told BBC Sport Africa.
“It’s a personal decision taken by the player after speaking at length with his family.”
Igboun only made one league appearance following his move to Nizhny Novgorod.
Last week world governing body Fifa announced that foreign footballers playing in Russia can suspend their contracts and temporarily leave the country.
The move came after Russian football clubs and national teams were suspended from all competitions “until further notice” by Fifa and Uefa.
At home in Russia
The versatile Igboun previously starred for Danish club FC Midtjylland, scoring 47 goals and providing 30 assists before moving to Russian side Ufa in at the end of the 2014-15 campaign.
He scored 27 times in 119 appearances during his five-year stay at Ufa before sealing a permanent move to Dynamo Moscow in August 2020 following a successful loan spell in the capital.
Capped six times by Nigeria, Igboun made his debut for the Super Eagles against Tanzania in their 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in September 2015.
-BBC
FIFA has sanctioned two lower division clubs in Kenya and Vietnam for match manipulation, relegating them to the third tier, world soccer’s governing body said on Friday.
FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee found Kenyan side Muhoroni Youth guilty of “activities related to the manipulation of football matches and competitions”, expelling the club from the second-tier National Super League.
“The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has further ordered the relegation of the Muhoroni Youth senior team to the Football Kenya Federation Division One League (third tier) ahead of next season,” FIFA said.
Vietnamese club Phu Tho was also found guilty of match manipulation. The club’s senior team was expelled from the Vietnamese Football League Second Division and relegated to the third division.
FIFA said the clubs had been notified and can appeal the decision.
-Reuters
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The president of the Confédération of African Football, Dr. Patrice Motsepe, has announced five new CAF Vice Presidents. They are:
- CAF First Vice President: Mr Fouzi Lekjaa (Morocco)
- CAF Second Vice President: Mr Kurt Okraku (Ghana)
- CAF Third Vice President: Mr Pierre-Alain Mounguengui (Gabon)
- CAF Fourth Vice President: Ms Bestine Kazadi Ditabala (Democratic Republic of Congo)
- CAF Fifth Vice President: Mr Feizal Sidat (Mozambique)
In addition, the CAF President has co-opted Yacine Idriss Diallo, President of Fédération Ivoirienne de football, into the CAF Executive Committee.
The CAF Executive Committee also approved the names to fill vacant positions on several CAF Committees.
Organising Committee for the African Nations Championship (CHAN)
- President: Pierre-Alain Mounguengui (Gabon)
CAF Technical and Development Committee
- President: Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon)
- Vice President: Malouche Belhassen (Tunisia)
CAF Medical Committee:
- President: Dr. Mohammed Bouya (Mauritania)
- Vice President: Dr. Thulani Ngwenya (South Africa)
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Governing Bodies
Nigeria becoming an epicentre of global badminton as Francis Orbih enters the Badminton World Federation Council
Laurels on the courts and now glory in the boardroom sums up the mark that badminton is making in Nigeria.
The President, Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN), Francis Orbih, has been elected as a council member of the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
The election took place during the BWF Annual General Meeting on Saturday in Xiamen, China.
Orbih emerged victorious over top contenders from other African countries.
He will join Cameroon’s Odette Assembe Engoulou on the council, while Chipo Zumburani (Zimbabwe) and Hadia ElSaid (Egypt) missed out.
An elated Orbih expressed his gratitude to fellow badminton presidents across the globe for their trust and support.
He said, “I am deeply honoured by the trust placed in me by my peers across the badminton world.
“I look forward to quality representation, driving development initiatives, and strengthening badminton’s global reach over the next four years.”
Orbih also acknowledged the support of the Federal Government of Nigeria, particularly the National Sports Commission (NSC), which he said played a significant role in his successful bid.
“The Chairman and the Director General of the NSC monitored the entire process. I’m grateful for their involvement and confident Nigeria will benefit from this,” he stated.
He further appreciated the BFN board members and the Nigerian badminton community for their prayers and continued belief in his leadership.
“From the day I declared my intentions, the board members of BFN have been supportive, and I promise not to disappoint them,” Orbih concluded.
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