Governing Bodies
NIGERIA SPORTS MINISTRY LOCKS NATIONAL STADIUM IN LAGOS
The quest of most users of the National stadium in Lagos to return to their usual activities met a brick wall as the old edify remained closed on the order of the Minister for Youth and Sports, Sunday Dare.
According to ThisDay newspapers, the 48-year old Sports Complex had witnessed its first major closure since it was commissioned in 1972 for the 2nd African Games hosted by Nigeria due to Covid-19 ravaging the human race on the face of the earth.
The Federal Government on the 22nd of March 2020 announced lockdown of major areas including Lagos and the follow up was the directive from the Sports Ministry that all its complex nationwide be closed till a suitable date.
But following the relax of the lockdown and subsequent guidelines released by the Governor of Lagos State Babajide Sanwo-Olu over the weekend, sports men and women, fun seekers and other regular visitors to the arena met a brick wall as the gates leading to the complex remained closed even to the staff of the Ministry.
THISDAY checks on Monday gathered that the Ministry officials are acting on the order of the Sports Minister and same thing applied to other stadiums in all the geo-political zones.
But due to the six-week lockdown, the abandoned complex had gone from bad to worse and overgrown by weeds and very untidy for habitat. But officials of the ministry engaged private firm to help fumigate the entire complex to avoid another epidemic after the lockdown.
“The stadium for now cannot be opened to visitors and staff of the ministry because of the situation we have at hand now. We are aware that a lot of people visit the complex for different reasons but in a situation that it may be difficult to control most of the activities was the main reason why it will remain closed for now.
“Last Saturday, we have ensured that the entire arena was fumigated so that when normalcy resumes, we won’t be challenged for any form of health hazard and we want plead with those with legitimate reasons for usage to the stadium to bear with the authority, “a top official of the ministry explained to THISDAY yesterday.
Aside the staff of the Sports Ministry and National Institute for Sports (NIS), complex on daily basis also play host to individuals in both corporate world and down trodden to seek survival with daily activities.
While the corporate class usually come in after office hours to unwind and expand their contacts in various businesses, the arena also accommodates artisans, area boys, vehicles learners, jogger outfits, petty traders, chorographers and sports men and women for their daily routine.
“If the situation improves after this partial lockdown, the complex could be opened for legitimate users because government also wants to enforce strict usage of the stadium while awaiting total renovation and takeover.
“For now nobody is allowed in the stadium and anyone or group of people found within and arrested could face the charges of vandalism,” the official explained.
However, some of the visitors who made frantic efforts to gain access yesterday are those whose either abandoned their vehicles due to mechanical faults and hoped that the lockdown will not last much and the store owners whose fear were towards vandals and not sure of what they may have lost all through the lock out.
Governing Bodies
FIFA opens disciplinary proceedings against Congo officials over financial misconduct
FIFA’s ethics committee launched disciplinary proceedings against three senior Congolese Football Federation (FECOFOOT) officials on Wednesday, including president Jean-Guy Mayolas, over allegations of financial misconduct.
Mayolas, his wife and his son were sentenced to life in prison earlier this month after a criminal court in the Congolese capital, Brazzaville, convicted them of embezzling $1.1 million in FIFA funds. Media reports said their whereabouts were not known , and they were tried in absentia.
FECOFOOT general secretary Wantete Badji and treasurer Raoul Kanda are also subject to the disciplinary proceedings, FIFA said. Badji and Kanda were sentenced to five years each in prison by the court in Brazzaville for related charges.
“These proceedings follow the receipt of information and documents during an audit,” FIFA said in a statement.
-Reuters
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The World Anti-Doping Agency is considering rewriting its rules to try barring President Donald Trump and all U.S. government officials from attending the LA Olympics in 2028, in a move that could also have implications for the World Cup being hosted by the U.S. this summer.
The proposal, on the agenda for next Tuesday’s meeting of the global drug-fighting watchdog’s executive committee, is the latest manoeuvre to come out of a yearslong refusal of the U.S. government to pay its annual dues to WADA.
The refusal is part of the American government’s unanimous, bipartisan protest of the agency’s handling of a case involving Chinese swimmers and other issues.
The Associated Press learned of the agenda item through correspondence it obtained between WADA and European officials involved in the agency’s decision-making. Two others with knowledge of the agenda confirmed the existence of the rules proposal to AP; they were not authorised to speak publicly about the agenda, which has not been released publicly.
The proposal was, in fact, first brought up in 2024, when U.S. authorities successfully lobbied for its rejection. The U.S. has since lost its seat on the executive committee.
“In spite of WADA’s increasing threats, we continue to stand firm in our demand for accountability and transparency from WADA to ensure fair competition in sport,” said Sara Carter, the director of the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP).
The rule, if passed, would figure to be mostly symbolic, given the limits an international sports federation could have on the president of a country attending an event inside his own borders.
“I have never heard of a $50-million-budget Swiss foundation being able to enforce a rule to, for example, prevent the United States president from going anywhere,” said Carter’s predecessor at ONDCP, Rahul Gupta, who was on the WADA executive committee two years ago and led the movement to reject the proposal. “And the next question you have to ask is: How are you going to enforce it? Are they going to post a red notice from Interpol? It’s ludicrous. It’s clear they have not thought this through.”
In a news release after this story published, WADA said the AP story was “entirely misleading,” focusing on Fitzgerald’s statement to the AP that if proposals being discussed were “introduced, given that the rules would not apply retroactively, the FIFA World Cup, LA and Salt Lake City Games (in 2034) would not be covered.”
Fitzgerald’s only answer to three emails from AP seeking clarification on his initial response — specifically about how a rule that had not yet been adopted could or couldn’t be applied retroactively on events that are scheduled for the future — was: “I’m trying to say that it would not apply retroactively so those events would not be covered. Given that and the next meeting of the Board being scheduled for November, I don’t see how it could come into play for this year’s World Cup.”
-AP
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The Confederation of African Football has dismissed Yasin Osman Robleh, the Djiboutian official who headed its judicial bodies for the past six years, in a move aimed at restoring confidence in the organisation’s disciplinary processes.
According to reports from convergence sources, the decision was confirmed on Saturday by CAF Secretary General Veron Mosengo-Omba, bringing an abrupt end to Robleh’s tenure overseeing the confederation’s disciplinary and investigative committees since 2019.
Robleh’s position reportedly came under increasing pressure following the controversy surrounding sanctions imposed after the Africa Cup of Nations Final between Morocco and Senegal. The disciplinary decisions that followed the match sparked criticism from several quarters and placed CAF’s legal framework under intense scrutiny.
In response to the situation, CAF’s Executive Committee has appointed Togolese lawyer Cedric Egai, currently the confederation’s Director of Legal Affairs, as interim head of the judicial bodies.
Egai is expected to stabilise the organisation’s legal arm while CAF works toward appointing a permanent successor to Robleh.
Disciplinary Decisions Delayed
The leadership change has already affected ongoing disciplinary processes within the confederation. CAF’s disciplinary committee reportedly held hearings last Thursday on several cases, including the high-profile encounter involving Egypt’s Al Ahly and Morocco’s AS FAR.
However, decisions on those matters have been temporarily put on hold pending the confirmation of new leadership within the judicial structure.
Sources indicate that once a permanent successor is appointed, CAF will move swiftly to conclude outstanding disciplinary rulings affecting both clubs and national teams.
Restoring Confidence
The move is widely seen as part of CAF’s effort to restore confidence in its judicial system following weeks of controversy surrounding disciplinary decisions at major competitions.
Robleh’s departure closes a significant chapter in CAF’s legal administration, while Egai’s interim appointment signals a potential shift in leadership and governance at a critical time for African football.
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