By Kunle Solaja.

Former Director General of the National Sports Commission, Dr Patrick Ekeji, has again called on the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to take deliberate steps to restore the prestige of Nigeria’s national football cup competition.

Ekeji, a former international footballer and one of the most experienced administrators in Nigerian sport, reiterated his earlier suggestion that the competition should return to its historic name, the Challenge Cup, arguing that the brand once commanded nationwide passion and respect.

Chatting with Sports Village Square, Ekeji lamented that the competition—now known as the President’s Federation Cup—has lost much of the appeal that once made it one of the most anticipated events in the Nigerian football calendar.

Decades ago, the national cup was a major crowd-puller that captivated football fans across the country, especially during the final stages. Stadiums were packed, and the competition enjoyed massive media attention.

Today, however, the tournament struggles to attract similar interest. Even the national final rarely fills stadiums or commands the level of media attention expected in an era when coverage has expanded from traditional platforms to digital media.

The competition has also faced organisational challenges. In recent seasons, some clubs have withdrawn from fixtures during the national stage of the tournament, prompting the NFF to announce on Monday, the imposition of sanctions, including a ₦1 million fine on teams that fail to honour matches.

Reacting to the situation, Ekeji said the football authorities must undertake a comprehensive review of the competition and the broader domestic football structure.

“The NFF has to rejig the competition along with the NPFL,” he said.

According to him, the financial realities facing Nigerian clubs have also contributed to the tournament’s decline.

“There is no income to owners of clubs, and the businesses are not expanding. Those still running clubs are really struggling and are hardly breaking even,” he said.

Ekeji also raised concerns about broader structural challenges affecting Nigerian football.

“Security is not guaranteed, and our politics is, at best, very unpredictable. As I proposed in my communication with you last year on this subject, the NFF, by not injecting a strong strategy into its management of our football, cannot expect a turnaround in any aspect of the game,” he added.

The veteran sports administrator believes restoring the historic name Challenge Cup could help reconnect the competition with its rich heritage and emotional appeal among Nigerian football fans.

“Challenge Cup resonates in the minds of all football followers in Nigeria and automatically connects with football, its development and followership,” Ekeji said.

“This cup is synonymous with the game in our country, just like the FA Cup is with the game in England, where it has remained so.”

He suggested that commercial sponsors could still benefit from associating with the competition without discarding its traditional identity.

“In my thinking, sponsors of the ever-changing name of this historic competition would gain more mileage if their names are linked to the original name as a suffix, such as: The Challenge Cup — sponsored by…,” he said.

“Indeed, there is something in a name. The Challenge Cup evolved into a brand, but sadly, our younger generation football managers failed to link it up as such.”

Nigeria’s national cup competition has undergone several name changes over the decades.

It began in 1945 as the Governor’s Cup, initially organised as a Lagos-based tournament. At the Annual General Meeting of the then Nigeria Football Association on February 28, 1955, the competition was renamed the Challenge Cup.

The original trophy was donated by Nigeria’s then Governor-General, Lord Milverton, formerly known as Sir Arthur Richards. He died on October 27, 1978—20 days after Bendel Insurance defeated Rangers International in a dramatic final.

Commercial sponsorship later introduced new identities for the competition. In 1999, it became the Coca-Cola FA Cup. In June 2009, the NFF announced another change, renaming it the Federation Cup.

Further sponsorship deals saw it renamed the Aiteo Cup in 2017 and the NFF/Tingo FederationCup in 2023.

In April 2024, during a ceremony in Lagos, the competition was renamed the President’s Federation Cup, the seventh title since the tournament began eight decades ago.

This year marks the 81st anniversary of the national cup competition, an institution that once stood at the heart of Nigerian football culture.

For Ekeji, reviving its historic identity may be the first step toward restoring the prestige it once commanded across the country.

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Former head coach of Nigeria’s national football team, Adegboye Onigbinde, is dead. He passed away late Monday evening, four days after celebrating his 88th birthday.

His death was confirmed in a statement issued on behalf of the family by Mrs Bolade Adesuyi, who disclosed that the veteran football tactician had been ill for some time.

Onigbinde, one of Nigeria’s most respected football administrators and coaches, first took charge of the national team in 1983, succeeding Brazilian coach Otto Gloria. During his tenure, he led the then Green Eagles to the final of the 1984 Africa Cup of Nations, where Nigeria finished runners-up.

Nearly two decades later, Onigbinde etched his name further into Nigerian football history when he became the first indigenous coach to lead the national team to the 2002 FIFA World Cup. He guided the Nigeria national football team to the tournament co-hosted by Japan and South Korea.

Widely respected for his discipline, tactical knowledge and commitment to youth development, Onigbinde remained an influential voice in Nigerian football long after his coaching career.

Further details regarding funeral arrangements are expected to be announced by the family in due course.

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• Summary

• Iranian media says five players secretly left the hotel
• Australian media said players were seeking government help after ‘breaking free’
• Trump says Albanese is doing very good job in ‘delicate situation’

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday he had spoken to Australian Prime ​Minister Anthony Albanese about the Iranian women’s soccer team after reports that five players had sought asylum in Australia.

Iran’s ‌semi-official Fars news agency said five players in Australia for the Asian Cup secretly left the team hotel with Australian police, and media reports said they were seeking Australian government assistance after “breaking free”.

People attempt to block a bus transporting Iranian players following the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Group A match between Iran and the Philippines at Gold Coast Stadium on the Gold Coast, Australia, March 8, 2026. AAP/via REUTERS

After initially posting on social media that Australia was “making a terrible humanitarian mistake” by allowing the team to be sent back home, Trump said in a later post that he had ​spoken to Albanese and that the Australian leader was “doing a very good job having to do with this rather delicate situation”.

Trump said ​five members of the Iran squad “have already been taken care of, and the rest are on their way”.

“Some, however, ⁠feel they must go back because they are worried about the safety of their families, including threats to those family members if they don’t return,” ​he said.

Australia’s SBS News said five players from the Iranian women’s team were now under the protection of the Australian Federal Police, seeking assistance ​from the government. It said government sources had confirmed the reports, adding that Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke had flown to Brisbane to meet with the women.

The Iranians’ campaign in the Australian-hosted Asian Cup tournament started just as the U.S. and Israel launched air strikes on Iran, killing the Islamic Republic’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. They were eliminated on ​Sunday after losing 2-0 to the Philippines.

In his earlier post, Trump said members of the team would “likely be killed” if forced to return to Iran. “The U.S. ​will take them if you won’t, ” he added.

Australia’s embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Trump’s remarks.

FIFPRO VOICES CONCERNS

Soccer’s global players’ union FIFPRO ‌said on ⁠Monday there were serious concerns for the welfare of the Iranian team after being labelled for refusing to sing their national anthem before a game.

The players’ decision to stand in silence during Iran’s anthem before their first match against South Korea was labelled by a commentator on Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting as the “pinnacle of dishonour”.

Iranian media quoted Farideh Shojaei, vice president for women’s affairs at the Iranian Football Federation, as saying the team had left ​the hotel through the back door ​with the police.

“We have contacted the ⁠embassy, the football federation, the foreign ministry and anywhere possible to see what will happen,” she said. “We have even spoken with the families of these five players.”

Iranian media named the players as Zahra Sarbali, Mona Hamoudi, Zahra ​Ghanbari, Fatemeh Pasandideh and Atefeh Ramazani-Zadeh.

It said other team members were still in Australia and quoted Shojaei ​as saying the squad ⁠had planned to return to Iran via Dubai, but the United Arab Emirates had not allowed them to do so.

It said efforts were now expected to be made for the team to return via Malaysia and Turkey.

The Iranian team sang their national anthem and saluted before their second match against Australia, sparking fears among ⁠human rights campaigners ​that the women had been coerced by government minders.

When asked whether Australia would grant the ​players asylum, Matt Thistlethwaite, the assistant minister for foreign affairs and trade, said the government could not go into individual circumstances for privacy reasons.

-Reuters

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