Governing Bodies
It is 60 years today since government first interfere in Nigerian football governing body
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
Today, 10 May 2022 marks the 60th anniversary of the first time that a board of the Nigerian football governing body was sacked
Government interference in the running of football in Nigeria has been a recurring decimal for close to three decades.
Yet, it was not so many years ago as the then Nigeria Football Association (NFA) was an independent body. But all that changed on this date, 10 May in 1962.
It was on that day that the Nigerian government intervened in the running of the football governing body of the country for the first time since the NFA was founded in 1933 (not 1945 as erroneously being believed).
Chief Joseph Modupe Johnson, better known as JMJ who was the Minister for Labour and Welfare and also in charge of sports announced the dissolution of the then NFA and constituted an eight-man caretaker committee.
That was the sack that changed the course of history, being the first governmental interference in the running of the NFA.
Oblivious of what was in the offing, the NFA members headed by its chairman, Francis Sodolamu Ogunmuyiwa, a magistrate judge, attended a hurriedly called meeting by the minister.
Other NFA members then were Fred Anisha, the vice chairman, Adetayo Awolesi, the secretary, Israel Adebajo, the treasurer and Alhaji Saliu. They were all elected at the poll conducted on 26 March 1961.
After levying allegations of fund misappropriation and lack of administrative skills, the minister, Modupe Johnson dropped the bomb as he announced the dissolution of the board and appointed a eight-man caretaker committee to run football in Nigeria.
The Acting Deputy Inspector General of Police, Louis Edet who later became the first Nigerian Inspector General, headed the committee. The Police Headquarters in Abuja is named after him.
Other members included M.E.K Roberts, a deputy commissioner of Police and Brig. Sam Ademulegun who was killed in the first coup in Nigeria. The committee also had Commodore Joseph Edet Akinwale Wey, a former footballer who later rose to the position of Vice admiral and Chief of Naval Staff.
He also served at various times as acting foreign minister and Chief of Staff of the Supreme Headquarters, making him the de facto Vice President during General Yakubu Gowon’s regime. He was also the best man when General Gowon married in 1969.
Also in the first appointed board of the NFA were Mustapha Adewale and Pius Anthony. The later, whose previous name was Pius Quist, was of Ghanaian descent and had been the first African to head the NFA in 1955.
The other members were Luke Emejulu, the secretary and Alhaji Koguma.
Francis Ogunmuyiwa, the chairman of the sacked NFA board initially queried the minister’s power to summon the meeting in which the sack was announced. He cited sections of the NFA constitution to back his claims.
The minister responded that the government considered public interest in taking the action. He pointed out that government was not going to take back seat in sports again.
The minister disclosed that the Ogunmuyiwa team took off with a balance of £8,500 but incurred a debt of £9,900. He emphasized that if the team were to go on, the gulf would continue to widen.
He also revealed that the Federal Government gave a loan of £9,900 to the NFA. No previous administration of the NFA had asked for Federal Government’s aid.
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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