International Football
NIGERIA FOOTBALL FEDERATION CLOCKS 60 IN FIFA FAMILY
BY KUNLE SOLAJA
It is
60 years this Wednesday since Nigeria was admitted into the fold of the world’s
football governing body, FIFA. It is a milestone that the Nigeria Football
Federation (NFF) is having along with Uganda and Saudi Arabia who were admitted
provisionally on the same day as joint-87th members.
This anniversary is just one of the two that Nigeria football family will be having this year. Sports Village Square recalls that the second is the 70th anniversary of the composition of the Nigerian national football team, now called the Super Eagles.
The Super Eagles which began as the UK Tourists was first composed on June 26, 1949 when the names of 17 of the 18 pioneer national team members were first announced.
The 18th member, Okoronkwo Kanu (anglicised as Kanoo) was included on July 1, 1949. That was when the story of the Super Eagles began as the famed UK Tourists.
As for the NFF anniversary, the FIFA Executive Committee at its meeting on April 24, 1959, examined Nigeria’s application and admitted it along with Saudi Arabia and Uganda, as provisional member.
This was contained in the May 1, 1959 letter sent to the then NFA by FIFA assistant secretary. It stated that the Executive Committee’s decision would have to be ratified by the Congress in Rome the following year.
The annual subscription fee was Swiss Francs 260, which the NFA was to pay by return of post to FIFA’s account with Union Bank of Switzerland in Zurich.
The provisional admission enabled Nigeria to enter for the football event of the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome. Nigeria, however did not progress beyond the opening round of the African qualifying series, placing last in a Group 2 triangular qualifying league involving Ghana and the United Arab Republic (a short-lived political union of Egypt and Syria).
Nigeria lost 6-2 in Lagos and 3-0 in Cairo to UAR and also 4-1 to Ghana in Accra after a 3-1 win in Lagos.
When the FIFA Congress met on August 22, 1960, with 69 national associations represented by 153 delegates, Nigeria’s definite affiliation to FIFA was confirmed.
Nigeria became the joint 87th full member of FIFA with seven others. According to the minutes of the meeting, the seven other associations that were admitted along with Nigeria are: Federation Royale Marocaine de Football, Federation Tunisienne de Football, The Football Association of Kenya, Sierra Leone Football Association, Uganda Football Association, Asociacion de Fenbol Aficionado de Puerto Rico and the Malta Football Association.
Nigeria’s
full admission was conveyed through a letter dated September 6, 1960. However,
no Nigerian delegate attended the Rome Congress.
A day earlier, according to the official history of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Nigeria, along with Morocco, Ghana and Tunisia, was formally registered as a full affiliate of the confederation at the General Assembly held in Rome.
The affiliation by FIFA enabled Nigeria to enter for the football event of the 1960 Olympic Games. The circumstances of joining CAF were basically the same, except that official records are lacking.
A former CAF president, Ydnekatchew Tessema, who was a co-founder of the confederation in 1957, once lamented the absence of foundation documents as the first general secretary, Youssef Mohammed, did not pass any to his successor, Mostafa Kamel Mensour.
The latter, who was in office at the time Nigeria joined CAF, in turn, did not pass any document to the third General Secretary, Mourad Fahmy the grand father of Amr Fahmy who was recently disengaged as CAF General Secretary.
Furthermore, the secretariat of Sudan Football Association, which housed CAF at inception till 1963, was damaged by fire and some documents, possibly including Nigeria’s application, were destroyed.
The NFF which had variously held its meetings at 42, Broad Street; 4, Customs Street, Lagos; Onikan Stadium, National Stadium, Ogunlana Drive and since 1996 at Abuja has poor record-keeping facilities, a situation that possibly prompted former Secretary General, Sani Ahmed Toro, to recommend computerising the entire NFA records after he had a three-week attachment with The Football Association, England in 1991.
Nigeria’s Super Eagles were held to a 2-2 draw by FIFA World Cup-bound Jordan in an eventful international friendly in Antalya on Tuesday night, with the contest overshadowed by a late red card to Alex Iwobi.
Iwobi, making his 98th appearance for the national team, was sent off in the closing stages, capping a dramatic encounter in which Nigeria surrendered a first-half lead and finished the game with ten men.
The match, played at the Mardan Sports Complex, brought Nigeria’s March international window to a close, but it proved anything but routine as both sides delivered a fiercely contested and entertaining clash.
Jordan, ranked 64th in the world and enjoying strong recent form, struck first in the 17th minute through Mousa Tamari. A well-worked free-kick routine caught the Nigerian defence napping, allowing the forward to fire home the opener.
Nigeria responded quickly and thought they had equalised six minutes later when Raphael Onyedika finished from a Moses Simon cut-back, but the goal was controversially ruled out.
The Super Eagles eventually drew level in the 30th minute. Stand-in captain Moses Simon, earning his 97th cap, reacted fastest after Ademola Lookman’s effort was blocked, slotting home with a composed left-footed finish for his second goal in as many matches.
Nigeria went ahead four minutes before halftime when Bright Osayi-Samuel’s pinpoint cross found debutant Emmanuel Fernandez, who showed great composure to control and finish, giving the three-time African champions a 2-1 lead at the interval.
The second half took on a more physical tone, with goalkeeper Francis Uzoho forced off in the 57th minute after sustaining an injury while clearing the ball. Adebayo Adeleye replaced him between the posts.
Head coach Eric Chelle introduced Wilfred Ndidi and Alex Iwobi to shore up the midfield, but Jordan continued to press and were rewarded with an equaliser in the 77th minute.
Nigeria pushed for a winner late on, handing a senior debut to Philip Otele, while Samuel Chukwueze came on for Moses Simon. However, the closing moments were marred by Iwobi’s dismissal, leaving the Super Eagles to see out the match with ten men.
Despite the draw, the encounter offered valuable insights for the coaching crew as Nigeria continues preparations for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
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By Kunle Solaja
Match Context
- Fixture: Jordan vs Nigeria
- Venue: Antalya, Turkey
- Occasion: Four-Nation Invitational Tournament
- Kick-off: Tuesday (evening)
They would have loved facing Jamaica in Mexico today for a place at the World Cup, but fate has other plans, and Nigeria’s Super Eagles will be taking on World Cup debutants Jordan in a friendly match instead in Turkey.
The encounter promises to be a revealing contest for both sides as preparations intensify for future global assignments.
The encounter, staged as part of a four-nation tournament in Turkey, will be the third meeting between the two countries, with the head-to-head record finely poised.
History Beckons in Third Meeting
Nigeria claimed a 2-0 victory in their first clash at the National Stadium, Lagos, on 28 April 2004 during the LG Cup.
However, the tables turned in 2013 when a largely experimental Nigerian side under the late Stephen Keshi suffered a 1-0 defeat in Amman, courtesy of a Hatem Aqel penalty.
This latest meeting now serves as the decider in what has quietly become a balanced rivalry.
Jordan arrive in buoyant mood, riding on the crest of a historic achievement, which is their first-ever qualification for the FIFA World Cup (2026).
Jordan’s Al-Nashama
Their recent form underlines a team growing in confidence and tactical discipline. In the past months, Al-Nashama have:
- Held Russia (0-0)
- Defeated Dominican Republic (3-0)
- Drawn with Mali (0-0)
- Narrowly lost to Bolivia (1-0) and Albania (4-2)
- Pushed Tunisia (3-2 loss) in a competitive encounter
They also opened this invitational tournament with a 2-2 draw against Costa Rica, further evidence of their resilience.
The team’s preparations have been boosted by a morale-lifting visit from Prince Ali bin Al-Hussein, President of the Jordan Football Association, during their Antalya training camp.
Coach Jamal Al-Salami has deliberately scheduled matches against Nigeria and Costa Rica, citing their stylistic similarity to World Cup opponents such as Argentina, Austria, and Algeria.
Despite missing several key players, including star forward Mousa Ta’mari, Jordan have continued to show depth, blending senior players with youth prospects as part of a broader developmental strategy.
Nigeria head into the clash with renewed confidence after a 2-1 victory over Iran in their opening game of the tournament, with goals from Moses Simon and Akor Adams.
Unlike previous meetings, the Super Eagles are expected to field a full-strength squad, packed with Europe-based stars, something Jordanian observers have already described as a “heavyweight challenge.”
The squad boasts a blend of experience and attacking flair.
The presence of multiple attacking options gives Nigeria a clear edge going forward, while their physicality and pace could pose serious problems for the Jordanians.
Jordan are expected to adopt a compact, disciplined shape, relying on quick transitions and defensive organisation, qualities that earned them results against stronger opposition in recent friendlies.
Nigeria, by contrast, will likely dominate possession, using width and individual brilliance to break down Jordan’s defensive lines.
The key battle may lie in midfield, where Jordan’s structure will be tested against Nigeria’s blend of strength, technique, and tempo.
For Jordan, this is another step in fine-tuning a squad preparing for its historic World Cup debut—a chance to measure themselves against elite opposition.
For Nigeria, it is an opportunity to assert authority, build cohesion among its star-studded squad, and maintain momentum ahead of more competitive fixtures.
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A clash of kit colours caused confusion for players and made it difficult for fans watching on TV to tell the teams apart as World Cup co-hosts, the U.S., were accused of being responsible for a mix-up in a 5-2 friendly defeat by Belgium on Saturday.
Both teams used the match to launch the new kit they will wear at the June 11 to July 19 World Cup, which is also being held in Canada and Mexico.
The U.S. sported a design that pulls directly from the red and white stripes in the American flag, while Belgium wore their away kit, which was light blue with pink accents.
“Sometimes you had to look twice, especially if you wanted to play quickly,” Belgian winger Jeremy Doku told his national television afterwards. “I would have preferred clearer colours.”
American captain Christian Pulisic said it was difficult to deal with.
“A lot of times you get the ball, and you look up, you can’t really lock in on something. You can only base it on the colour of the shirt. That’s how it works,” he told reporters. “And when it’s very similar, it’s difficult.”
Belgian television apologised to viewers after the match, with analyst and former Belgian international Marc Degryse criticising organisers.
“Football is a product that needs to be sold. Everything always has to be better and better, yet they still managed to make the match annoying with the jerseys,” he said.
“This goes completely against the whole commercial aspect. This is really unacceptable.”
US Soccer said pictures of both jerseys were sent to match referees before the match, and at no time did they indicate they felt there was a conflict.
Belgian media said on Sunday the fault lay with the hosts, who insisted on playing in their new red and white jerseys, which clashed with both Belgium’s first-choice red strip and also the lighter away kit.
Both countries wanted to unveil their new jerseys for the first time, but after becoming aware of the situation, Belgium proposed to play in their traditional red, the reports said.
However, that was not an option because the U.S. shirt also contains a lot of red. One solution could have been for the U.S. to play in their dark blue kit, but that did not fit into their commercial plan, the reports added.
-Reuters
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