Governing Bodies
How Nigeria adopted professional football
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
Nigeria’s path to a professional football league was formally paved at a meeting in Lagos on 27 April 1984.
Sports Village Square recalls that a body that registered as Professional Football Federation of Nigeria (PFFN) acted as the catalyst that brought about the status of Nigeria’s elite footballers.
The PFFN later got registered under the company act of 1968 at the Ministry of Trade in July 1984. It had registration number RC4037.
The body backed by prominent citizens, especially two Emirs from the North, made a major breakthrough when on April 27, 1984 it held the first ever summit on professional football at Royal Bed Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos at the instance of Chief Lekan Salami, a chieftain of the then IICC Shooting Stars.
The meeting was expected to come out with a comprehensive data on positive approach towards professionalism. It was of historical significance both in design and choice of venue.
A similar summit had taken place in England in the same month of April in 1888, which transformed English football from its predominantly amateur status.
The Royal Bed Hotel, Ikeja, meeting of the PFFN appeared a replay of the Royal Hotel Manchester meeting 86 years earlier.
At the PFFN meeting, Sampson Emeka Omeruah, Minister of Sports, was represented by National Sports Commisssion (NSC) Chairman, Brigadier Kehinde Sho-Silver.
His address touched on the fundamentals of professional football in Nigeria. He told the PFFN to consider the ethics of professional soccer and urged the delegates to enter into dialogue with the NFA on the modalities of beginning a professional league.
The meeting in Ikeja was major step that led to chains of events culminating in professional football kicking off in 1990.
The government seemed to have given a blanket approval to the venture. In 1982, it accepted the recommendation of the S.O. Williams commission on Sports Administration that government should recognise professionalism in sports.
At the inauguration of a new board for NSC, Emeka Omeruah announced that professional soccer might take off in 1986. When the National Executive Committee of the NFA met in Benin, in January 1986, Chairman, Anthony Ikazoboh, told the gathering that the Federal Government had given the go-ahead for the change of players’ status and called on interested club sides to register as companies with Ministry of Trade.
Everyone seemed to have agreed that Nigeria was ripe for professionalism. But one hurdle crossed, another emerged.
Which body should control it? The next few months witnessed a cold war between the then NFA and the PFFN.
FIFA recognises only one football governing body in a country. The NFA, which had enjoyed that recognition since 1959, held steadfastly to the argument.
It pointed to Article 41 of FIFA Statutes (1986) to buttress the claim to sole authority to all forms of football activities in Nigeria. The article forbids any form of relationship with sporting associations that are not members.
The PFFN countered that by Decree 34 of 1971 under which the NSC was established, the amateur status of all its various associations, including the NFA, was clear.
Officials of the PFFN argued that the NFA cannot control professional football, while also, their own body needed no recognition from FIFA and CAF as it intended to operate under the jurisdiction of the NFA.
Analogies were drawn from boxing and wrestling bodies, which have dual status. Both are organised at amateur level by national associations under the NSC.
But at the professional level, there are boards of control that were still outside the control of NSC. But such comparison appeared more complex on closer examination.
While FIFA controls football world wide, both at amateur and professional level, different bodies control boxing.
The International Amateur Boxing Association (IABA) organises championships and tournaments in the Olympic Games. At professional level, no fewer than four bodies – WBC, WBO, WBA and IBF exist.
When in late 1985, Col. Ahmed Abdulahi took over from Omeruah as Sports Minister; he set up a committee comprising the NFA, PFFN, and Sports Writers Association of Nigeria, the referees association and representatives of the ministry to harmonise all issues relating to professional football.
The committee’s report was submitted in November 1986. The bringing together of men from both PFFN and NFA notwithstanding, the former pressed on plans to start its independent league.
It began registration of club sides in March 1986 and reportedly had 15 clubs in its fold. Among them were some division one national league sides.
They were alleged to have paid 25 Naira registration fee while their representatives continually attended the PFFN’s meeting at its five-room secretariat at 3 Western Avenue, Lagos.
The World Anti-Doping Agency is considering rewriting its rules to try barring President Donald Trump and all U.S. government officials from attending the LA Olympics in 2028, in a move that could also have implications for the World Cup being hosted by the U.S. this summer.
The proposal, on the agenda for next Tuesday’s meeting of the global drug-fighting watchdog’s executive committee, is the latest manoeuvre to come out of a yearslong refusal of the U.S. government to pay its annual dues to WADA.
The refusal is part of the American government’s unanimous, bipartisan protest of the agency’s handling of a case involving Chinese swimmers and other issues.
The Associated Press learned of the agenda item through correspondence it obtained between WADA and European officials involved in the agency’s decision-making. Two others with knowledge of the agenda confirmed the existence of the rules proposal to AP; they were not authorised to speak publicly about the agenda, which has not been released publicly.
The proposal was, in fact, first brought up in 2024, when U.S. authorities successfully lobbied for its rejection. The U.S. has since lost its seat on the executive committee.
“In spite of WADA’s increasing threats, we continue to stand firm in our demand for accountability and transparency from WADA to ensure fair competition in sport,” said Sara Carter, the director of the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP).
The rule, if passed, would figure to be mostly symbolic, given the limits an international sports federation could have on the president of a country attending an event inside his own borders.
“I have never heard of a $50-million-budget Swiss foundation being able to enforce a rule to, for example, prevent the United States president from going anywhere,” said Carter’s predecessor at ONDCP, Rahul Gupta, who was on the WADA executive committee two years ago and led the movement to reject the proposal. “And the next question you have to ask is: How are you going to enforce it? Are they going to post a red notice from Interpol? It’s ludicrous. It’s clear they have not thought this through.”
In a news release after this story published, WADA said the AP story was “entirely misleading,” focusing on Fitzgerald’s statement to the AP that if proposals being discussed were “introduced, given that the rules would not apply retroactively, the FIFA World Cup, LA and Salt Lake City Games (in 2034) would not be covered.”
Fitzgerald’s only answer to three emails from AP seeking clarification on his initial response — specifically about how a rule that had not yet been adopted could or couldn’t be applied retroactively on events that are scheduled for the future — was: “I’m trying to say that it would not apply retroactively so those events would not be covered. Given that and the next meeting of the Board being scheduled for November, I don’t see how it could come into play for this year’s World Cup.”
-AP
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The Confederation of African Football has dismissed Yasin Osman Robleh, the Djiboutian official who headed its judicial bodies for the past six years, in a move aimed at restoring confidence in the organisation’s disciplinary processes.
According to reports from convergence sources, the decision was confirmed on Saturday by CAF Secretary General Veron Mosengo-Omba, bringing an abrupt end to Robleh’s tenure overseeing the confederation’s disciplinary and investigative committees since 2019.
Robleh’s position reportedly came under increasing pressure following the controversy surrounding sanctions imposed after the Africa Cup of Nations Final between Morocco and Senegal. The disciplinary decisions that followed the match sparked criticism from several quarters and placed CAF’s legal framework under intense scrutiny.
In response to the situation, CAF’s Executive Committee has appointed Togolese lawyer Cedric Egai, currently the confederation’s Director of Legal Affairs, as interim head of the judicial bodies.
Egai is expected to stabilise the organisation’s legal arm while CAF works toward appointing a permanent successor to Robleh.
Disciplinary Decisions Delayed
The leadership change has already affected ongoing disciplinary processes within the confederation. CAF’s disciplinary committee reportedly held hearings last Thursday on several cases, including the high-profile encounter involving Egypt’s Al Ahly and Morocco’s AS FAR.
However, decisions on those matters have been temporarily put on hold pending the confirmation of new leadership within the judicial structure.
Sources indicate that once a permanent successor is appointed, CAF will move swiftly to conclude outstanding disciplinary rulings affecting both clubs and national teams.
Restoring Confidence
The move is widely seen as part of CAF’s effort to restore confidence in its judicial system following weeks of controversy surrounding disciplinary decisions at major competitions.
Robleh’s departure closes a significant chapter in CAF’s legal administration, while Egai’s interim appointment signals a potential shift in leadership and governance at a critical time for African football.
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Governing Bodies
Countdown Rule Introduced To Crack Down on Time-Wasting in Substitutions and Spot Kicks
Global football’s law-making body, The International Football Association Board (IFAB), has approved a landmark package of reforms aimed at protecting effective playing time, reducing time-wasting and strengthening disciplinary oversight ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026.
The decisions were taken at IFAB’s 140th Annual General Meeting (AGM), chaired by Mike Jones, President of the Football Association of Wales, during celebrations marking the FAW’s 150th anniversary.
The reforms, which will apply from the 2026/27 season and be implemented at the 2026 World Cup and other competitions, respond to growing calls across the football community for measures that preserve match tempo and reduce deliberate disruption.
Five-Second Countdown for Throw-Ins and Goal Kicks
Building on last season’s amendment preventing goalkeepers from holding the ball for excessive periods, IFAB has extended the countdown principle to throw-ins and goal kicks.
If a referee judges that a restart is being deliberately delayed, a visible five-second countdown will begin. Failure to put the ball back into play within that period will result in possession being awarded to the opposing team. In the case of a delayed goal kick, the sanction escalates to a corner kick for the opposition.
The measure is designed to eliminate a common time-management tactic frequently deployed late in matches.
Strict Timelines for Substitutions
To further streamline match flow, substituted players must leave the field within 10 seconds of the substitution board being displayed or the referee’s signal being given.
Players who exceed that limit must still exit immediately, but their replacement will not be allowed to enter until the next stoppage after one minute of running clock time has elapsed — effectively discouraging slow exits intended to run down the clock.
Mandatory One-Minute Absence After On-Field Treatment
Under another significant change, players who receive on-field medical assessment — or whose injury prompts a stoppage — must leave the pitch and remain off for at least one minute once play resumes.
The rule aims to curb tactical injury interruptions while still safeguarding genuine medical needs.
IFAB also approved further trials to assess goalkeeper-related tactical injury delays and explore deterrent options.
VAR Protocol Expanded to Include Second Yellow Cards
In a notable development for officiating, IFAB expanded the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) protocol.
The VAR will now be permitted to review:
- Red cards resulting from a clearly incorrect second yellow card;
- Mistaken identity cases where the wrong player is cautioned or sent off;
- Clearly incorrectly awarded corner kicks, provided the review can be completed immediately without delaying the restart.
The move addresses longstanding criticism that second cautions — unlike straight red cards — were previously outside VAR review scope, despite their decisive impact on matches.
IFAB also confirmed continued trials of semi-automated offside technology (SAOT) and ongoing development of FIFA-led Football Video Support (FVS).
Amendments to the Laws of the Game 2026/27
The next edition of the Laws of the Game, effective 1 July 2026 (with early adoption permitted), will introduce further clarifications and adjustments:
- Law 3: Senior ‘A’ international friendlies may now allow up to eight substitutes, expandable to eleven by mutual agreement.
- Law 4: Non-dangerous equipment will be permitted if safely covered.
- Law 5: Referee body cameras (head- or chest-mounted) may be used at competition discretion, with organisers controlling footage.
- Law 8: Clarifies that a dropped ball will be awarded to the team that would likely have retained possession.
- Laws 10 & 14: Formal incorporation of guidance on accidental “double touch” penalty incidents.
- Law 12: Where advantage is played for denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity and a goal is scored, the offender will not be cautioned.
Focus on Discriminatory Behaviour and Player Protests
Looking ahead to the 2026 World Cup, IFAB agreed that further consultation will be undertaken to develop tougher measures against discriminatory conduct.
The board will also examine scenarios where:
- Players leave the field collectively in protest of refereeing decisions;
- Players cover their mouths while confronting opponents — a practice viewed as undermining transparency.
A Forward-Looking Agenda
The AGM, attended by representatives from FIFA, The FA, the Scottish FA, the FA of Wales, the Irish FA and IFAB administration, signals what officials described as a decisive effort to modernise the sport.
With the 2026 World Cup on the horizon, IFAB’s reforms represent one of the most comprehensive tempo-focused overhauls in recent years — an attempt to ensure that football remains faster, fairer and more resistant to manipulation of time.
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