International Football
NIGERIA APPLIED FOR FIFA MEMBERSHIP ON VALENTINE DAY
BY KUNLE SOLAJA
Nigeria’s direct affiliation to FIFA which was initiated in 1951 came up again in 1959. There was the need for Nigeria to enter for the football tournament of Rome 1960 Olympics. So, it had to join FIFA.
On February 7, 1959, the bid to join FIFA was renewed when the NFA secretary, Mr. Allen, wrote the FA in London for advice regarding featuring in the football event of the 1960 Olympics in Rome.
The English FA secretary replied two days after saying he was pleased with the Nigerian decision to feature in the Olympics. He advised the NFA to apply for membership of FIFA through the secretary of the world body, Kurt Gassmann, promising that the English FA would support such application.
Sports Village Square’s investigation reveals that on Valentine day on 1959 (February 14, 1959), the NFA formally applied for membership of FIFA. Signed by Reginald Allen, the application was addressed to Kurt Gassmann, the Secretary General of FIFA.
The full text reads: “The Nigeria Football Association wishes to apply to the Federation of International Football Associations for membership, and I have been advised by Sir Stanley Rous to write to you on this matter. Would you please be so kind as to send the necessary form of application at your convenience.”
The
response was prompt. Kurt Gassmann replied on February 18, the same day the
letter got to FIFA headquarters. In the reply, FIFA requested for three copies
of the NFA’s Statutes and Regulations as well as information regarding summary
of NFA’s activities, competitions and championships.
The world body also wanted to know whether the NFA was the sole association governing football in Nigeria. Other information sought before the NFA’s application was examined included the status and number of players, clubs and referees in Nigeria. FIFA asked further that NFA’s formal application for membership must contain an undertaking that it would conform to the statutes and regulations of FIFA. The NFA was also to observe the laws and game in force and to include in its rules, provisions of Articles 8, 9 and 10 of the then FIFA regulations.
A copy of FIFA’s statutes and regulations was sent under a separate cover to the Nigerian FA. Allen set out gathering the necessary information.
He wrote to Basil Stallard, secretary of the Nigeria Referees Association (NRA), to get the list of referees who were of international status.
Allen was confident that the NFA would meet other requirements except that of referees. He noted that his idea of Nigerian international referees was about 16.
But he did not consider it too small since the NFA only organised about eight important matches yearly.
Stallard on his part remarked that there was no standardisation in the classification of Nigerian referees. “That made it difficult to know the actual number of referees who could be called first class”, he remarked.
The argument was that a first class referee in one part might not measure to the same grade in another part of the country.
To further support NFA’s application, Allen who in March became the association’s chairman, sent copies of NFA’s balance sheet to Sir Stanley Rous, secretary of the Football Association, England, and also to FIFA to support Nigeria’s application.
The association’s account was considered good, having had a record gate-taking of £4,742 in the Nigeria versus English Tourists duel the previous year. Next to that was the £4,406 realised in the Ghana/Nigeria match.
The NFA’s response to FIFA letter was sent on February 25, 1959. Three copies of the association’s constitution as contained in its Annual Handbook was attached to the reply.
Mr. Allen affirmed that the NFA was the only controlling football association for the entire federation of Nigeria, pointing to the association’s constitution which covered all creeds and tribes, including African and European teams.
It was also pointed out that the Nigeria Challenge Cup competition was entirely national and was run on similar lines to the English Challenge Cup (now The FA Cup). Mr. Allen also wrote that for the 1959 season, there were 81 regional, county and district associations which were affiliated to the NFA.
“These, together with the federal senior league (10 teams) and military forces, make an entry of nearly 100 teams in the Challenge Cup. The NFA also informed FIFA that it had nearly 1,200 recognised teams involving 35,000 players, all of whom are amateur, in its fold.
International Football
Former Brazil coach Tite taking break to take care of mental, physical health
Former Brazil coach Tite said he is taking an indefinite career break in order to take care of his mental and physical health.
The 63-year-old, who led Brazil to the 2019 Copa America title, was hospitalised due to a heart issue last August. He was sacked by Flamengo the following month and had most recently been linked with the Corinthians job.
“I realised that there are times when you have to understand that, as a human being, I can be vulnerable and admitting that will certainly make me stronger,” Tite said in a statement posted on his son Matheus Bachi’s Instagram on Tuesday.
“I’m passionate about what I do and I’ll continue to be so, but after talking to my family and observing the signals my body was giving off, I decided that the best thing to do now is to take a break from my career to look after myself for as long as it takes.
“As has become public, there was a conversation in progress with Corinthians, but it will have to be paralysed by a difficult but necessary decision.”
Tite, who stepped down as Brazil coach after their quarter-final exit from the 2022 World Cup, has previously coached a string of Brazilian sides including Gremio, Atletico Mineiro and Palmeiras.
-Reuters
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Brazil have sacked head coach Dorival Jr, the country’s football confederation (CBF) said on Friday after the five-time world champions were thrashed 4-1 away to fierce rivals Argentina in a humiliating qualifying loss in Buenos Aires.
The 62-year-old was appointed in January 2024 after the team spent a year under two caretaker coaches as the Brazilian FA were unable to lure Italian Carlo Ancelotti from Real Madrid.
“The Brazilian Football Confederation informs that coach Dorival Jr is no longer in charge of the Brazilian national team,” the confederation said in a statement.
“The management thanks (Dorival) and wishes him success in continuing his career … the CBF will work to find his replacement,” it added.
Dorival was handed the job after his success with Flamengo in 2022 where he won the Copa Libertadores and Brazilian Cup, a trophy he lifted again the next year with Sao Paulo.
However, he never seemed to get to grips with the national team job and failed to earn the trust of Brazil’s demanding fans after winning only seven of his 16 games in charge.
Sources told Reuters the CBF was not confident in Dorival’s work, considering there had been little to no progress since a lacklustre Copa America campaign when Brazil were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Uruguay last year.
Still, the CBF was willing to wait and see until the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Ecuador and Paraguay in June to reassess the situation following the end of the European season and the Club World Cup in the U.S. in June and July.
But after Brazil slumped to their heaviest-ever loss in a qualifier when they were thrashed by Argentina this week, CBF president Ednaldo Rodrigues decided to pull the trigger.
IDEAL CANDIDATE
Sources told Reuters Ancelotti was still the ideal candidate but he is under contract with Real until July 2026 and there is no indication he would leave the European and Spanish champions.
Brazilian media have reported that Al Hilal’s Portuguese coach Jorge Jesus is the favourite to replace Dorival.
Brazil have been in unfamiliar territory for over two years since crashing out of the 2022 World Cup against Croatia on penalties in the quarter-finals, a heartbreaking elimination that led to the exit of long-time manager Tite.
Their humbling defeat in Buenos Aires was the latest of a series of negative records Brazil have set under caretakers Ramon Menezes and Fernando Diniz and with Dorival in charge. They had never conceded four goals in a World Cup qualifier.
Brazil are in the midst of their worst-ever World Cup qualifying campaign. They are fourth in the South American standings with 21 points, a point above sixth-placed Colombia who currently occupy the final direct qualifying berth.
Never have Brazil lost so many games, conceded so many goals or set so many negative records in the qualifying competition. They have lost five of their 14 games and conceded 16 goals.
Brazil’s 1-0 defeat by Argentina in the Maracana late in 2023 was their first-ever qualifying loss on home soil.
They also lost to Colombia for the first time, saw the end of their unbeaten run against Uruguay stretching back over two decades and were defeated by Morocco and Senegal, having never previously lost to an African nation.
-Reuters
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International Football
England’s German manager Tuchel will not sing the English anthem in his first game
England manager Thomas Tuchel said he would have to “earn the right” to sing the national anthem, God Save the King, after announcing his 26-man squad on Friday ahead of the team’s World Cup qualifiers.
Tuchel, who was appointed as Gareth Southgate’s successor in October and named his first squad to face Albania and Latvia this month, said he would not sing the anthem in his first games in charge.
“It means a lot to me, I can assure you, but I can feel that because it is so meaningful and it is so emotional and it is so powerful, the national anthem, that I have to earn my right to sing it,” the 51-year-old German told a news conference.
Former caretaker manager Lee Carsley was criticised last year for not singing the anthem during his tenure.
However, Tuchel added that while he is proud to be in charge of the team and knows the words to the anthem, he plans to earn the right with results.
“Maybe I have to dive more into the culture and earn my right from you, from the players, from the supporters, so everyone feels like ‘he should sing it now, he’s one of our own, he’s the English manager, he should sing it’,” he said.
-Reuters
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