Governing Bodies
NFF EXTOLS SIMBA AT PARTNERS SIGN CONTRACT RENEWAL
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has described Simba Group as a worthy partner in the journey to make Nigerian football fulfilling for players and fans.
According to NFF President, Amaju Pinnick, who spoke at the contract renewal signing ceremony between Simba Group and the Federation in Lagos over the weekend, the commitment of the company to the development of Nigerian football and the Super Eagles is worth emulating.
Simba Group, distributors of TVS tricycle and
motorcycle, extended its contract with the NFF for two years as the “Official
Motorcycle and Tricycle of the Super Eagles” at a ceremony in Lagos on Friday.
Pinnick described the contract renewal by Simba Group as epochal as it marked the first time a partner was desirous to have its contract renewed before expiration.
He therefore commended Simba Group for
believing in the NFF and the Super Eagles. “We are happy that despite the
man-made turbulence of recent time, companies like Simba have done their due
diligence and concluded with a strong belief in the NFF,” he said.
The NFF President added: “We are very happy to renew this contract with Simba for the next two years. I thank the Simba Group very profoundly. They will never regret their continuous belief in the NFF. We will do everything in ensuring that they have the desired leverage.”
Pinnick said the NFF was particularly delighted that despite the critical and dicey time for Nigerian football, “Simba, a company that has an untainted image, can say that it wants to partner with us. That goes to confirm that they believe in our integrity, probity and transparency in doing things.”
Speaking for Simba Group, Mahendra Pratap, Business Head-Simba TVS assured that the company was committed to working together with the NFF to help develop football further in the country.
He stated: “Like all of us here in Nigeria, we at Simba TVS are extremely passionate about football and proud of our Super Eagles. We are delighted to be extending this partnership, which will enable us work closely with the NFF, the Super Eagles and the Super Falcons.”
He reminisced that as the “Official Motorcycle and Tricycle of the Super Eagles, Simba TVS played its part during major football events for the nation.
“Fans will recall the ceremonial escort TVS keke gave the national team as they departed for the FIFA World Cup in 2018 and the Africa Cup of Nations in 2019 and several other occasions,” Pratap further said.
Simba Group Head of Marketing, Mr Karthik Govindarajan added that Simba was in a joint journey to further develop football in Nigeria together with the NFF.
“Like every Nigerian, we are proud of our footballers. And that is why we have been supporting them for the past two years.
“We are very happy to renew this agreement and partnership. It’s our passion for Nigeria and its football that makes us not to just support from the stands,” he further said.
The Simba Group, founded in Nigeria in 1988, is a conglomerate with operations across Nigeria’s most dynamic economic sectors – agriculture, alternative energy, backup power supply systems, networking and data transmission, ICT infrastructure development, and commercial vehicles sales and servicing.
The Group commands leadership positions in all five companies that share a simple, yet effective, corporate philosophy: providing the customer with unparalleled satisfaction.
Through a network of ten branches, Simba works in collaboration with its over-600 channel partners and service outlets, to ensure its products are available and serviceable, in all parts of the country.
Simba TVS King tricycle is the largest selling tricycle in Nigeria.
World football governing body, FIFA, today clocks its 122nd anniversary, celebrating more than a century of overseeing and expanding the global game.
Founded on May 21, 1904, in Paris, France, FIFA began with just seven member associations — France, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
From that modest beginning, the organisation has grown into the most influential sports governing body in the world, with 211 member associations spread across all continents.
Over the decades, FIFA has transformed football into a truly global phenomenon through competitions such as the FIFA World Cup, Women’s World Cup, Club World Cup, youth tournaments, and developmental programmes aimed at growing the game worldwide.
The organisation has also witnessed remarkable milestones, including the expansion of the men’s World Cup from 13 teams in 1930 to 48 teams beginning from the 2026 edition to be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
FIFA’s journey has equally reflected football’s growing influence beyond sport, with the game becoming a major tool for diplomacy, social inclusion, youth empowerment, and economic development across the world.
As FIFA celebrates 122 years of existence, attention is now focused on the future of the game, technological innovations, expanded competitions, women’s football growth, and the continued globalisation of football.
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UEFA has issued a lifetime ban to Petr Vlachovsky, a Czech women’s soccer coach who secretly filmed his players, the governing body announced on Tuesday.
Czech media reported that the coach was convicted in May 2025 and initially received a suspended one-year prison sentence and a five-year domestic coaching ban for filming FC Slovacko’s players in changing rooms, the youngest of whom was 17.
In a statement, UEFA’s Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body (CEDB) said it had decided to ban Vlachovsky “from exercising any football-related activity for life” following the appointment of an Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector to investigate allegations of potential misconduct.
“The CEDB further decided to request FIFA to extend the abovementioned ban on a worldwide level and to order the Football Association of the Czech Republic to revoke Mr Petr Vlachovsky’s coaching licence,” the statement added.
FC Slovacko did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
Football players’ union FIFPRO welcomed the ban as well as UEFA’s request for world soccer governing body FIFA to impose an international ban on Vlachovsky.
“This outcome sends a strong and necessary message that abusive and inappropriate behaviour has no place in football and that safeguarding the well-being of players must remain a priority at every level of the game,” FIFPRO added in a statement.
Vlachovsky had also previously served as coach of the Czech women’s Under-19s team.
RELATED STORY: https://sportsvillagesquare.com/2026/04/08/outrage-as-male-coach-who-secretly-filmed-women-players-still-free-to-work-in-football/
-Reuters
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Southampton have been kicked out of the Championship playoff final after being found guilty of spying on semi-final opponents Middlesbrough, the English Football League said on Tuesday.
Middlesbrough, who lost 2-1 to Southampton on aggregate in the semi, have been reinstated and will face Hull City on Saturday in what is dubbed the world’s richest soccer match.
Promotion to the Premier League, even with an immediate relegation, is estimated to be worth in the region of 200 million pounds ($268.10 million) over three seasons.
Southampton, who admitted the charges, were also found guilty of filming training sessions involving Oxford United in December and Ipswich Town in April during the regular season.
They have also been deducted four points from the start of next season in England’s second tier.
“An Independent Disciplinary Commission has today expelled Southampton from the Championship play-offs after the club admitted multiple breaches of EFL regulations related to the unauthorised filming of other clubs’ training,” the EFL said.
“Southampton admitted breaches of Regulations requiring Clubs to act with the utmost good faith and prohibiting the observation of another Club’s training session within 72 hours of a scheduled match.
“The effect of today’s order is that Middlesbrough are reinstated into the 2026 play-offs and will proceed to the play-off final against Hull City. The final remains scheduled for Saturday 23 May, with the kick-off time to be confirmed.”
The EFL confirmed that Southampton could appeal against the decision and that “parties are working to try and resolve any appeal on Wednesday 20 May.
“Subject to the outcome, it could result in a further change to Saturday’s fixture,” the statement said.
‘BORO CALLED FOR SOUTHAMPTON EXPULSION
Middlesbrough had called for Southampton’s expulsion after having a training session at their Rockliffe Park site filmed 48 hours ahead of the first leg of their playoff semi-final with Southampton which ended 0-0.
The north-east club said they welcomed the decision.
“We believe this sends out a clear message for the future of our game regarding sporting integrity and conduct,” the north Middlesbrough said in a statement.
“As a club, we are now focused on our game against Hull City at Wembley on Saturday.”
Southampton were relegated from the Premier League last season and were struggling in the early part of this campaign until a storming finish in which they went unbeaten in 19 league games to finish fourth and enter the playoffs.
The south-coast club are the first to fall foul of the Football League’s regulation 127 — brought in after Leeds United were found guilty of spying on Derby County seven years ago, an offence for which they were fined 200,000 pounds.
-Reuters
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