Governing Bodies
Gusau becomes the fifth Nigerian to hold WAFU’s top position
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
The President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Ibrahim Musa Gusau has been elected as the 1st Vice President of the West African Football Union (WAFU) B zone.
He thus becomes the fifth Nigerian to hold a top position in the West African subregional football body.
Others before him include the founding president, Joseph Kwamina Tandoh who at the time was a vice chairman of the then Nigeria Football Association (NFA).
Others are Jonathan Boytie Ogufere, president from 1988 to 1994; Abdulmumini Aminu (1999 to 2002) and Amos Adamu (2008 to 2010) under whose tenure, the hitherto 16-nation body was divided into two – WAFU A and WAFU B.
Gusau’s election took place this Friday in Niamey, Niger Republic on the sidelines of the CAF African Schools Football Championship (WAFU B qualifying tournament.
The WAFU B zone is now made up of seven countries after CAF split what was the biggest subregional football body, not just in Africa, but also globally.
The WAFU Zone B now comprise Nigeria, Togo, Benin Republic, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Niger Republic and Cote d’Ivoire.
The original 16-nation body was founded in Abidjan on 7 September 1975. But 36 years later, life was snuffed out of the biggest subregional football body when CAF on 16 May 2011 split it into two along the zonal divisions of the Supreme Council for Sports in Africa (SCSA).
However, Sports Village Square recalls that WAFU had existed with another name before the foundation date of 7 September 1975. In March 1959, the West African Football Federation (WAFF) was founded, and it comprised the 16 nations that later became WAFU 15 years later.
Delegates from seven countries met in Accra Ghana for a football conference that led to the establishment of WAFF for the Kwame Nkrumah Gold Cup which replaced an annual Jalco Cup competed by just Nigeria and Ghana.
Reginald Allen and Effiom Okon represented Nigeria at the conference.
The president of the Confédération of African Football, Dr. Patrice Motsepe, has announced five new CAF Vice Presidents. They are:
- CAF First Vice President: Mr Fouzi Lekjaa (Morocco)
- CAF Second Vice President: Mr Kurt Okraku (Ghana)
- CAF Third Vice President: Mr Pierre-Alain Mounguengui (Gabon)
- CAF Fourth Vice President: Ms Bestine Kazadi Ditabala (Democratic Republic of Congo)
- CAF Fifth Vice President: Mr Feizal Sidat (Mozambique)
In addition, the CAF President has co-opted Yacine Idriss Diallo, President of Fédération Ivoirienne de football, into the CAF Executive Committee.
The CAF Executive Committee also approved the names to fill vacant positions on several CAF Committees.
Organising Committee for the African Nations Championship (CHAN)
- President: Pierre-Alain Mounguengui (Gabon)
CAF Technical and Development Committee
- President: Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon)
- Vice President: Malouche Belhassen (Tunisia)
CAF Medical Committee:
- President: Dr. Mohammed Bouya (Mauritania)
- Vice President: Dr. Thulani Ngwenya (South Africa)
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Governing Bodies
Nigeria becoming an epicentre of global badminton as Francis Orbih enters the Badminton World Federation Council
Laurels on the courts and now glory in the boardroom sums up the mark that badminton is making in Nigeria.
The President, Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN), Francis Orbih, has been elected as a council member of the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
The election took place during the BWF Annual General Meeting on Saturday in Xiamen, China.
Orbih emerged victorious over top contenders from other African countries.
He will join Cameroon’s Odette Assembe Engoulou on the council, while Chipo Zumburani (Zimbabwe) and Hadia ElSaid (Egypt) missed out.
An elated Orbih expressed his gratitude to fellow badminton presidents across the globe for their trust and support.
He said, “I am deeply honoured by the trust placed in me by my peers across the badminton world.
“I look forward to quality representation, driving development initiatives, and strengthening badminton’s global reach over the next four years.”
Orbih also acknowledged the support of the Federal Government of Nigeria, particularly the National Sports Commission (NSC), which he said played a significant role in his successful bid.
“The Chairman and the Director General of the NSC monitored the entire process. I’m grateful for their involvement and confident Nigeria will benefit from this,” he stated.
He further appreciated the BFN board members and the Nigerian badminton community for their prayers and continued belief in his leadership.
“From the day I declared my intentions, the board members of BFN have been supportive, and I promise not to disappoint them,” Orbih concluded.
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A former member of the FIFA Council, Mamoutou Toure, has been released from jail in Mali after almost two years in detention for alleged corruption, Malian media reports said on Wednesday.
Toure, president of the Malian Football Federation since 2019, was released after 622 days in prison on Tuesday.
He served on the FIFA Council, world football’s all-powerful decision-making body, for four years until last month when he lost his seat after failing to contest new elections.
The 67-year-old was arrested in August 2023 on allegations of embezzling $28 million of public funds but was granted a provisional release order by the Malian courts, reports said.
He was accused of misconduct during his time as the National Assembly’s financial and administrative director from 2013-2019.
Toure denied all charges and, during his time in jail, was last August re-elected as Malian Football Federation president for a second consecutive term, with his supporters claiming he was a victim of a conspiracy fuelled by detractors.
While in jail, he received a letter of support from FIFA president Gianni Infantino. However, as of last month, Toure is no longer a member of the FIFA Council or the Confederation of African Football’s executive committee.
-Reuters
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