Governing Bodies
FIFA clocks 120 today
![](https://sportsvillagesquare.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/guerin.jpg)
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
There may be no celebration, but the world football governing body is 120 years old today, having been founded on 21 May 1904 in Paris, France. It is the foundation in France that occasioned its French name as Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA).
It was founded at the rear of the headquarters of Union des Sociétés Françaises de Sports Athlétiques (USFSA) at the Rue Saint Honoré 229 in Paris.
Rue Saint-Honore 229, where FIFA was founded in 1904
Though founded in Paris, the headquarters moved to Zurich, Switzerland in 1932. In Zurich, the headquarters have also changed twice with the current one being a five-story building, two of which are underground.
Bahnhofstrrasse 77 in Zurich which housed FIFA from 1932 to 1954.
The French name and acronym are universally adopted outside French-speaking countries. The founding members were the national associations of Belgium, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Spain (represented by Real Madrid), Sweden and Switzerland.
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.sportsvillagesquare.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/fifa-house-3.jpg?resize=396%2C216&ssl=1)
FIFA’s Home from 1954 to 1977: “Villa Derwad” at Hitzigweg 11, Zurich.
On the same day, the German FA (DFB) reportedly declared its intention to affiliate through a telegram. The British, despite their claims to be the originators of football, were not founding members of FIFA and only joined.
From 1977 to 1979, The fourth building to house FIFA: Aurorastrasse 60 in Zurich
England joined on 14 April 1905, Scotland and Wales in 1910 while the fourth British association, Norther Ireland joined in 1911.
FIFA House inaugurated on 21 May 1979
The founding president of FIFA was Robert Guerin of France. The first FIFA Congress was helld two days later on 23 May 1904 where the president was elected.
FIFA Headquarters since 29 May 2007
The founders at the time, including Victor E. Schneider of Switzerland and Carl Anton Wilhelm Hirschmann of the Netherlands – both vice presidents, as well as first Secretary, Louis Muhlinghaus of Belgium, faced difficulties as FIFA only existed on paper.
FIFA foundation documents
By the second FIFA Congress in Paris from 10 to 12 June 1905, other national associations of Germany, Austria, Italy and Hungary joined.
In the following months, the founding president, Guerin increasingly withdrew from sports and handed over to the vice presidents. By 1906, the English man, Daniel Burley Woolfall was elected as the FIFA President.
At the time up till 1909, , FIFA only consisted of European countries. The first outside Europe countries joined in the following order: South Africa in 1909/10, Argentina and Chile in 1912 and USA in 1913.
Nigeria provisionally joined in 1959 and got confirmed at the Rome Congress of 22 August 1960 as joint 87th member along with Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Tunisia, Kenya, Uganda, Sierra Leone, Malta and Puerto Rico.
Despite existing since 1904, FIFA was unable to organise a tournament of its own until the first World Cup in 1930. The outbreak of World War I in 1914 was a major blow.
FIFA was in comatose. Its president, Daniel Burley Woolfall died in 1918.
While the war was on and in the absence of a president, secretary, Carl Anton Wilhelm Hirschmann kept FIFA alive from his offices in Amsterdam.
As one of the founders himself, Hirschmann took contacts of all the members at the end of the war and was aided by Jules Rimet, the president of the French FA. Following the war, the four British associations left FIFA.
On 1 March 1921, Rimet became the third FIFA president.FIFA came back to life. He initiated the first World Championship in 1930. The membership grew steadily from 20.
In the 33 years of Rimet’s presidency, there was an upswing in FIFA membership and and activities.
On passing on the reins in 1954 at the beginning of the fifth World Cup in Switzerland, FIFA had 85 members. At the moment, FIFA has 211 member countries.
There have been nine substantive presidents in 120 years while three others – Carl Anton Wilhelm Hirschman of Netherlands (1918-1920), Ernst B. Thommen of Switzerland (1961) and Issa Hayatou of Cameroon (2015-2016) were in acting capacities.
Brazil’s Joao Havelange became the first non-European president in 1974. The current president is Gianni Infantino, an Italian-Swiss.
Governing Bodies
African football set to benefit from newly launched CAF VAR Academy Programme
![](https://sportsvillagesquare.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/var-academy.webp)
The Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF) is launching the CAF Video Assistant Referee (VAR) Academy for the 54 CAF Member Associations – a move that is aimed at elevating the standard of officiating in Africa.
Following CAF’s recent hosting of the most successful Africa Cup of Nations that saw the quality of officiating being singled out, CAF is building onto this success with the innovative academy set to be rolled out between September and October 2024.
The CAF VAR Academy will train Elite Referees across the continent for international competitions and national championships on the use of VAR and ensure that Africa continues to produce elite referees, as seen in recent times.
CAF Technical Development Director, Raul Chipenda said the VAR Academy Programme is a practical step by CAF to improve the standard of match officiating in Africa and ensure that African referees are equipped to compete against the best in the world.
“In the last few months, CAF has had a strong bias in upskilling match officials on the usage of VAR that is why at the AFCON in Cote d’Ivoire, our officials were rated amongst the best. But it does not help having a small group, we need a big pool.
“Officiating plays a critical role in the development of African football, as evidently seen in the success of the recent AFCON. CAF actively oversees and supports a number of football development programmes and competitions across Africa and with that said, it is equally vital that match officials across Africa are adequately equipped with the latest officiating technology, means and education in order to remain on par with the existing pool of officials on the continent”, said Chipenda.
The CAF VAR Academy, which will be attended by elite referees across CAF’s 54 Member Associations will also be the first step in introducing VAR across the continent.
As part of its roll out programme, CAF will be embarking on a continental drive of conducting CAF VAR Academy workshops across its Zonal Unions in the next few months where 180 referees are expected to be reached.
CAF VAR ACADEMY 2024 WORKSHOP DATES:
ZONAL UNION DATE HOST NATION WAFU B 01 – 08 September Cote d’Ivoire COSAFA 11 – 19 September South Africa UNAF 22 – 27 September Egypt CECAFA 30 September – 05 October Tanzania WAFU A 12 – 17 October Senegal
-CAF
Governing Bodies
Nigeria Football Federation clocks 91 today, but they don’t believe in their age
![](https://sportsvillagesquare.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/gusau-and-NFF-logo.png)
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
Nigeria football governing body, the NFF is 91 years today and just nine years to clock a century. Unfortunately, the body does not believe in its age, but hold on to a faulty belief that it is 79 years old, but with no actual birthday.
Founded 1945 is gleefully displayed on the crest of the NFF. Yet, it is not possible to pin point which date in 1945 the body was founded in 1945. Sports Village Square’s research unveils documented as well as verifiable evidences that what is today’s NFF was founded in Lagos as NFA on 21 August 1933.
No official of the NFF has come forward to defend their claim of the body being ‘founded in 1945’.
Their assumption emanates from the fact that the national cup competition, now called President Federation Cup, began in 1945 as ‘Governor’s Cup’.
This itself is a distortion of historical fact on Nigerian football as the first three editions of the competition was not even organised by the then NFA but by the Lagos and Districts Amateur Football Association (LDAFA) which is now Lagos Football Association.
Verified archival materials have confirmed that the Nigerian football governing body was founded on Monday 21 August 1933 at house number 42, Broad Street Lagos. The building still exist, even with the same address.
Also, all the facts on the actual foundation date of the football governing body still exist and verifiable at the Nigeria National Archives at the University of Ibadan and also at The FA offices in London.
Despite overwhelming and documented evidences, it has been very hard, if not impossible, to get official recognition for the foundation date of the NFF.
The foundation meeting was held that day at the 42 Broad Street, in Lagos. The building which still exists today was then known as Health Office.
The founding officials were: Henry A. Porter as President while three Vice Presidents were appointed.
They were: Frederick Baron Mulford, Sir Adeyemo Alakija and Dr. Isaac Oluwole. The Secretary/Treasurer was James Mead who worked at UAC in Lagos.
The report of the foundation was published in the 25 August 1933 edition of the Daily Times.
Their first Annual General Meeting, as reported by the Daily Times of February 22 1934, took place in Lagos on Monday 19 February 1934.
The meeting decided to seek affiliation with The FA in England. A check by the Sports Village Square at the offices of The FA in London was very revealing. The minutes of meeting of The FA on 4 June 1934 shows under item 10 that: “The Nigeria Football Association was admitted to membership under Rule 5 of the Rules of Association.”
The affiliation was also reported in the Nigerian Daily Times edition of 14 September 1934. Reputable FA in England could not have registered a non-existing body.
The various regimes of the NFA/NFF since 2003 have found it difficult to accept and effect the actual foundation date of the body. They are more concerned about a perceived global backlash they could receive for just realising the actual birth date of the Nigerian football governing body.
Regarding the assumption that the national competition started in 1945 and linking that to the foundation of the football governing body is an assumption based on fallacy.
Documented evidences discovered by Sports Village Square point to the fact that the Governor’s Cup was not a product of the then NFA but that of the Lagos and Districts Amateur Football Association (LDAFA) which is today known as the Lagos FA, the oldest football association in Nigeria having been established in 1932 by Henry A. Potter, the same man who founded the NFA the following year.
One day, it shall come to pass when the true foundation date will be acknowledged.
Governing Bodies
CAF’s sole surviving former president, Ahmad attending Hayatou’s funeral
![](https://sportsvillagesquare.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ahmad.jpg)
There have been seven presidents of CAF since the continental body was created in 1957. Of the six former heads of the confederation, only Ahmad of Madagascar is alive.
As the sixth and just one-term president, Ahmad who recently completed his reduced ban of two years by FIFA/CAS is one of the dignitaries attending the funeral of Issa Hayatou in Cameroon this Friday.
Arrival of Issa Hayatou’s body from France
Funeral service for Hayatou at the Yaounde airport when the body arrived from Paris on Thursday
Long-time friend, Constant Omari arriving Yaounde for Hayatou’s funeral
Apart from other football chiefs – FIFA president Gianni Infantino and his CAF counterpart, Patrice Motsepe, also in attendance is Congolese Constant Omari who had been a long term ally of Hayatou.
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