By Kunle Solaja.

Nigeria is set to host the 48th Ordinary General Assembly of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), marking the third time the country will stage the continent’s top football gathering.

The development was confirmed in a statement issued by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), which disclosed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on the sidelines of the ongoing Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, approved Nigeria’s proposal to host the event.

The approval followed a meeting between President Tinubu and CAF President Patrice Motsepe, attended by Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, NFF President Ibrahim Musa Gusau, former NFF President and Special Adviser to the CAF President Amaju Melvin Pinnick, as well as CAF Acting General Secretary Samson Adamu.

Sports Villages Square affirms that Nigeria previously hosted the CAF Congress at the National Theatre in Lagos in March 1980 and again in February 2009, when the late CAF President Issa Hayatou secured another four-year term in office.

In addition to this year’s 48th Ordinary General Assembly, scheduled for October, Nigeria also secured the hosting rights of the CAF Awards ceremony. The annual awards gala, which celebrates Africa’s top football performers, has been staged in Morocco over the past three years.

Nigeria had earlier hosted the CAF Awards when telecom firm, Globacom, was the headline sponsor. This year’s event will be the seventh to be held in Nigeria after those of 2005, 2008, 2009, 2013, 2014 and 2016.

The CAF Ordinary General Assembly traditionally attracts key football stakeholders from across the continent, including presidents of CAF’s 54 member associations, representatives of the six zonal unions and senior football administrators.

The CAF Awards ceremony is regarded as one of African football’s flagship events, honouring outstanding players, coaches, clubs and officials in a glamorous setting that showcases the continent’s football excellence.

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By Kunle Solaja.

The Royal Moroccan Football Federation has unveiled Google Gemini as the official Artificial Intelligence partner of Morocco’s national football team in a move aimed at boosting fan engagement and enhancing the digital presence of the Atlas Lions.

The partnership, announced ahead of a busy football calendar in May, June and July, will see the federation collaborate with Google Gemini to deploy advanced AI technologies in support of the Moroccan national team.

According to the federation, the strategic alliance is designed to strengthen communication channels with supporters, promote Moroccan football talent both locally and internationally, and showcase the country’s deep passion for the game to a global audience.

Powered by Google’s artificial intelligence technology, Google Gemini will work with the Moroccan federation on a range of digital and interactive initiatives tailored for football fans. The projects are expected to provide innovative experiences for supporters within Morocco and across the world, bringing fans closer to the Atlas Lions.

Among the features highlighted are the use of Gemini’s text-to-image technology, which allows fans to create personalised visuals in support of the national team, as well as the Lyria music-generation model that enables supporters to compose fan songs and recreate stadium atmospheres digitally.

The AI platform will also help fans better understand football by simplifying complex rules, analysing match performances and even predicting possible winners.

Speaking on the partnership, Najib Jarrar described the collaboration as an important step in connecting technology with sport.

“We are proud to support the Moroccan National Team, which honours Moroccan football with its global achievements during this important phase,” Jarrar said.

“Through Google Gemini, we seek to employ the power of AI to elevate the fan experience and celebrate the rich history of Moroccan football. This partnership is not just about technology; it also aims to strengthen the bonds between fans and the sport they love in deeper and more impactful ways.”

Morocco’s national team, popularly known as the Atlas Lions, gained global acclaim after becoming the first African and Arab nation to reach the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup at the 2022 tournament in Qatar.

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By Kunle Solaja

As the Nigeria Premier Football League celebrates 36 years of professional football, one troubling pattern continues to define the competition — the inability of most league top scorers to evolve into enduring stars of the Nigeria national football team.

In more than three decades of professional football, only one league top scorer can truly claim to have successfully crossed the bridge from domestic hero to established Super Eagles icon: Ahmed Musa.

The former Kano Pillars F.C. striker remains the outstanding exception in a league littered with what many observers now describe as “one-season wonders.”

Musa announced himself to Nigerian football in the 2009/2010 season when he scored 18 goals to emerge as the league’s leading scorer, breaking the long-standing 17-goal record set by Ishaya Jatau in the inaugural professional season of 1990.

Unlike many before and after him, Musa successfully translated domestic brilliance into international relevance.

He went on to become Nigeria’s fastest-ever scorer and remains the only Nigerian player to score two braces at the FIFA World Cup — against Argentina national football team in 2014 and Iceland national football team in 2018.

Yet Musa’s success only magnifies the larger mystery surrounding the Nigerian league: why have so many prolific scorers failed to reproduce their domestic form at the national team level?

The list is remarkably long.

The first professional league top scorer, Ishaya Jatau of Heartland F.C. — then known as Iwuanyanwu Nationale — scored 17 goals in 1990 but managed only one goal in a handful of appearances for Nigeria.

Despite his reputation as a deadly finisher in the league, his wastefulness in national team colours reportedly left then-coach Clemens Westerhof unconvinced.

From there, a pattern emerged.

Players such as Olumide Harris, Ben Agadah, Paul Kpoughoul and Emmanuel Agbo dominated league scoring charts but disappeared almost as quickly as they arrived.

Others, including Peter Ijeh, Victor Ezeji and Joseph Akpala, briefly tasted national team football but never secured lasting places in the Super Eagles.

The problem has persisted across generations.

Even players who set impressive scoring records in recent years struggled to establish themselves internationally.

Mfon Udoh set a league record of 23 goals in the 2013/14 season for Enyimba F.C., while Junior Lokosa, Anthony Okpotu and Godwin Obaje all enjoyed prolific domestic campaigns.

Yet none became long-term Super Eagles regulars.

The contrast with Nigeria’s greatest striker, Rashidi Yekini, remains striking.

Yekini’s 37 international goals still stand untouched decades after his retirement.

Observers believe several factors may explain the recurring failure of league top scorers to mature into elite internationals.

One issue is consistency.

Many players explode for a single season before suffering dramatic drops in form. Some quickly leave Nigeria in search of opportunities abroad, often joining lower-profile leagues where their development stagnates.

Others struggle with the tactical and physical demands of international football, where defenders are stronger, spaces are tighter, and opportunities are fewer.

There is also the quality question.

Critics argue that the Nigerian league’s inconsistent standards sometimes inflate the reputations of local strikers, making domestic scoring records misleading indicators of international readiness.

In several seasons, top scorers emerged with relatively modest tallies. Arthur Moses won the golden boot in 1992 with just 10 goals, while Peter Anyiolobi topped the 1996 chart with only nine.

The instability of clubs and coaching systems has equally affected player development.

Unlike elite leagues where strikers are nurtured within structured tactical environments, many NPFL forwards operate in unstable teams with limited sports science support, inconsistent officiating and poor playing conditions.

Still, the league continues to produce raw attacking talent.

What remains missing is a system capable of transforming prolific domestic scorers into complete international forwards capable of sustaining excellence over many years.

As the NPFL clocks 36, the enduring question remains unanswered: why does Nigeria consistently produce league top scorers, yet so rarely produce strikers capable of dominating African and world football the way Yekini once did?

Top scorers who failed to make an impact in the Super Eagles

• 1990-Ishaya Jatau (Iwuanyanwu Nationale), 17 goals
• 1991-Richard Ojomo (Bendel United), 12 goals
• 1992-Arthur Moses (Super Stores), 10 goals
• 1993-Tony Nwigwe (Iwuanyanwu Nationale), 13 goals
• 1994-Olumide Harris (Shooting Stars), 14 goals
• 1995-Ben Agadah (Gombe United), 12 goals
• 1996-Peter Anyiolobi (Enyimba), 9 goals
• 1997-Paul Kpoughoul (Jasper United/BCC Lions), 16 goals
• 1998-Hassan Minda (Gombe United), 14goals
• 1999-Emmanuel Agbo (Iwuanyanwu Nationale), 14 goals
• 2000-Peter Ijeh (Julius Berger), 14 goals
• 2001-Uche Okereke (Enugu Rangers), 13 goals
• 2002-Joetex Frimpong (El-Kanemi), Victor Ezeji (Dolphins), 16 goals
• 2003-Chibuzor Ozurumba (Iwuanyanwu), Endurance Idahor (Julius Berger), 12 goals each
• 2004-Kabiru Alausa (Berger), 13 goals
• 2005-Timothy Anjembe (Lobi Stars), Joseph Akpala (Insurance), Charles Omokaro (Sharks), 12 goals each 2006 -Ibenebu Ikechukwu (El Kanemi), 10 goals
• 2007 – Ameh Aruwa (Kaduna United), 10 goals
• 2007/2008 – Abubakar Babale (Wikki Tourist/Sunshine Stars), 14 goals
• 2008/2009 – Akarandut Orok (Akwa United), 17 goals
• 2009/2010 – Ahmed Musa (Kano Pillars), 18 goals. (The only one established in the Super Eagles)
• 2010/2011 – Jude Aneke (Kaduna United) 20 Goals
• 2011/2012 – Sibi Gwar (Niger Tornadoes) 17 goals
• 2012/213 – Victor Namo (Nasarawa United) 18 goals
• 2013/2014 – Mfon Udoh (Enyimba) 23 goals
• 2014/2015 – Gbolahan Salami (Warri Wolves) 17 goals
• 2015/2016 – Godwin Obaje (Wikki Tourists) 18 goals
• 2016/2017 – Anthony Okpotu (Lobi Stars) 19 goals
• 2017/2018 – Junior Lokosa (Kano Pillars) 19
• 2018/2019 – Mfon Udoh (Akwa Utd) & Ibrahim Sunusi (Nasarawa Utd) 10 goals
• 2019/2020 – Cancelled owing to Covid-19
• 2020/21: Silas Nwankwo (Nasawara United) & Charles Atshimene (Akwa United) – 19 goals
• 2021/22: Chijioke Akuneto (Rivers United) – 19 goals
• 2022/23: Chukwuemeka Obioma (Enyimba) – 16 goals
• 2023/24: Chijioke Mbaoma (Enyimba) – 17 goals

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