Governing Bodies
Professional football clocks 33 years in Nigeria 
BY KUNLE SOLAJA
On this date, 12 May 1990, professional football kicked off in Nigeria after years of agitations. It kicked off with Stores’ home match with the then Iwuanyanwu Nationale (now Heartland of Owerri). Ben Iroha, a left rear guard of the Super Eagles playing for the Owerri side entered the record books as the first scorer in the Nigerian professional league when he scored the first goal in a 2-1 away win at the now Mobolaji Johnson Arena.
Sports Village Square recalls that in the opening season, 16 club sides were paired in the first professional league fixtures in the country.
Professional football had kicked off in Nigeria 102 years after England pioneered the venture worldwide.
By 1989, the year preceding Nigeria’s adoption of professional football, the venture had virtually swept across the globe. What could not be imagined some years back were unfolding.
No fewer than six Eastern bloc countries of former Czechoslovakia, Romania, Poland, Hungary, East Germany and the defunct Soviet Union had surprisingly dropped amateurism.
Even the Olympic Movement was not left out as amateurism was fading out rapidly. Professionalism has now become the bedrock of the movement, which only a decade earlier could not boast of having more than $100,000 to run its affairs.
By early 1990s, the International Olympic Committee measured its reserves in million dollars, thanks to the influx of sponsors. Juan Antonio Samaranch had transformed it into a big commercial enterprise.
In response to posers on the increasing professionalism of sports in the Olympic movement, Samaranch remarked that it underscored the importance of the games.
In Nigeria, the early agitation for professional football was perhaps in the 1950s. Initially, the argument was on the pros and cons.
But stronger voices seemed against it. Derby Allen, who later became the NFA chairman, for instance argued that the football industry would take more than it offered. The scale of organisation and capital investment for professional football to thrive were lacking.
Derby Allen in the Sunday Times of 20 September 1953, offered such argument against professional football. He doubted the ability of clubsides to obtain suitable ground sufficiently large enough and equipped to accommodate thousands of spectators.
In the Lagos area, the only ground of note was the King George V Stadium (now Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan), which could hold a tightly packed 12,000 people.
The value of terracing and facilities was estimated at £20,000. The paucity of facilities was also the strong point of argument against professional football, even up to the 1980s.
Allen argued further that managing the professional players, grounds men, manager, treasurer, trainers and other staff would be too much for the prospective clubs to bear.
A typical wage bill of each club was £6,209 per month. With other expenses like rent of ground and other operational costs, each club was computed to likely spend £16,000 annually and make about £8,000, leaving annual loss of the same amount. Such clubs would be too few and far apart.
Most antagonists up till 1980s subscribed to the arguments. Clubs were expected to seek other means of generating funds like the Egyptian teams, which were run as semi-professional outfits.
The Al-Ahly of Cairo printed out 120,000 copies of its magazine weekly to supplement earnings from gate takings. Besides, each of the 15,000 associate members at the time, yearly paid one thousand Egyptian pounds.
Protagonists held that professionalism was the answer to the apparent dwindling standard of the game. Coach Peter ‘Eto’ Amaechina told the Sunday Times of 2 September 1969, that Nigeria could not make a World Cup standard without adopting professional football.
He was to be proved right as Nigeria’s debut in the World Cup was immediately after the commencement of the professional league.
Ameachina recalled then that only one non-professional football country, Sweden, in 1958 ever played the World Cup final.
Jasper Philips, treasurer of LAFA for many years, maintained in 1963 that Nigeria should go professional.
His lofty idea was that 3,000 sports-minded Nigerians should contribute £10 each to raise a £30,000 Trust Fund to begin the venture.
Louis Edet, the NFA chairman, loved the idea, but doubted the implementation, as professionalism would rob Nigeria the opportunities to feature in some international competitions.
“There is currently no professional football in Africa, and barring African Cups, a team of professionals in Nigeria can’t take part in Olympics, West African Gold Cup and the Nnamdi Azikiwe Cup played by Nigeria and Ghana”, argued Edet.
He stated further that such debarment also applied to friendly matches. “It will therefore require more than £30,000 trust fund to maintain a professional team which can’t play many matches and bring money from the gates to reinforce the trust fund”, Edet concluded.
The argument sounded plausible, especially recalling past experience.
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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The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has dismissed reports suggesting that its Statutes will be amended at this year’s Annual General Assembly (AGA), insisting that no such plans are on the table for the September 27 meeting.
In a statement, the Federation stressed that the ongoing conversation around its Statutes remains at a preliminary stage and that suggestions of imminent changes are unfounded.
Ahead of the AGA, the NFF will host a workshop on September 26, bringing together representatives of its members, as well as officials from FIFA and CAF. According to the Federation, the forum is strictly consultative, designed to deliberate on proposals for new Statutes in line with the principles of good governance and international best practices.
The NFF explained that only after consensus is reached with its members will a separate General Assembly be convened to formally consider and adopt any proposed Statute changes.
“The NFF remains committed to due process, transparency, and working hand-in-hand with its General Assembly Members, FIFA, and CAF,” the statement read.
“The ultimate goal is to establish enduring Statutes that will strengthen governance, broaden representation, and promote inclusivity within Nigerian football.”
The Federation added that the long-term reform framework is aimed at ensuring stability and progress across its structures and enhancing the participation of all stakeholders in the country’s football administration.
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