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Tue, Oct

Nigeria’s football leadership faces a major shake-up as FIFA moves to reset the NFF, bars committee members from contesting elections and sets May 31, 2027, as the final deadline for its intervention.

World football governing body FIFA has approved the establishment of a Normalisation Committee to take charge of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), paving the way for a sweeping reset of the country’s troubled football administration.

The decision marks a significant turning point in the unfolding crisis at the NFF, with the committee expected to oversee the federation’s affairs until fresh elections are conducted into its Executive Committee.

The NFF disclosed the development in a statement, citing a letter signed by FIFA Secretary-General Mattias Grafström and addressed to Dr Emmanuel Ikpeme.

Under the arrangement, FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) will jointly appoint the committee members as soon as possible.

The committee will remain in office until it completes its mandate, with its tenure capped at May 31, 2027.

In a clear move to separate the normalisation process from the race for power, FIFA has ruled that none of the committee members will be eligible to contest any position in the forthcoming NFF elections.

Until the appointments are finalised, the NFF Secretariat will continue to manage the federation’s daily operations and oversee the administration of Nigerian football.

RESIGNATIONS TRIGGER ADMINISTRATIVE SHAKE-UP

FIFA’s intervention follows a turbulent period in Nigerian football administration, which took a dramatic turn in August when former NFF President Ibrahim Gusau, General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi and members of the federation’s Executive Committee resigned.

The departures threw the federation’s leadership structure into uncertainty and prompted fresh steps to stabilise its operations.

The National Sports Commission subsequently approved Emmanuel Ikpeme as interim General Secretary and Ademola Olajire as interim Deputy General Secretary, while the planned NFF elective congress was suspended pending reforms.

TINUBU ORDERS REFORMS

The developments also followed President Bola Tinubu’s directive for a comprehensive reform of Nigerian football.

The National Sports Commission was tasked with working alongside the NFF and engaging FIFA and CAF to drive the reform process.

With FIFA’s approval now in place, attention shifts to the appointment of the Normalisation Committee, the implementation of its mandate and the eventual conduct of fresh elections.

For Nigerian football, the coming months could prove decisive as the federation enters a new phase of administration under international oversight, with the May 31, 2027 deadline setting an outer limit for the normalisation process.

Mikel Arteta has defended Arsenal’s wider efforts to improve the club’s operations after being briefed on plans to reduce the workforce by as much as seven per cent.

Chief executive Richard Garlick informed employees this week that the club intended to eliminate a number of positions across several departments. The proposed changes could affect up to 61 of Arsenal’s 871 permanent employees, with the reductions focused on non-playing and administrative roles.

The club has confirmed that coaching and performance teams across both the men’s and women’s sides will not be affected. Staff working for the Arsenal Foundation, Arsenal in the Community and the club’s security department are also excluded from the plans.

Speaking ahead of Arsenal’s visit to Nottingham Forest on Sunday, Arteta said he had been given an explanation of the review and its objectives. The Spaniard initially stressed that he was not the appropriate person to discuss the details before outlining his understanding of the decision.

He explained that the process was designed to help the club develop, improve its structure and ensure resources were directed towards the right areas.

According to Arteta, the changes are intended to place employees in suitable positions while allowing Arsenal to continue investing in their long-term ambitions.

However, he emphasised that questions about the redundancies should be directed to the club’s leadership rather than himself, asking for his position on the matter to be respected.

The restructuring comes shortly after Arteta signed a new four-year contract, following Arsenal’s first Premier League title triumph since 2004. His previous annual salary of £10 million was increased under the new agreement, which also includes a further £5 million in potential bonuses.

The workforce review had reportedly begun before Arsenal secured the league title, indicating that the proposed changes were part of a process already underway rather than a response to the club’s on-field success.

Arsenal’s latest financial figures provide further context for the decision. In February, the club reported record revenue of £691 million for the 2024-25 financial year. Despite that income, the accounts showed an overall loss of £1.4 million.

Operating expenditure also increased significantly, reaching £200.8 million compared with £147.9 million in the previous financial year.

While the club continues to generate substantial revenue, the planned job reductions highlight its efforts to review costs, reorganise its workforce and direct investment towards its future objectives.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pep Guardiola has reaffirmed his loyalty to Manchester City following the club’s guilty verdict over alleged breaches of the Premier League’s financial regulations.

The former City manager said he would continue to stand behind the club’s owners, executives, players, staff and supporters, despite an independent commission finding the club guilty of breaching financial rules covering several seasons.

In a message to City supporters, Guardiola said he wanted fans around the world to know that he remained firmly behind the club.

“I am, always have been, always will be, behind my club,” he said, also expressing his support for the ownership, chairman, players, staff, manager and supporters.

“Let me be clear: we will get through this together. I love you all.”

The independent commission found Manchester City guilty of charges relating to financial breaches between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons. The club was also found guilty on all but one of the charges concerning its alleged failure to cooperate with the Premier League’s investigation.

Among the commission’s findings were allegations involving commercial agreements that the Premier League described as “sham contracts”, with more than £830m in secret funding alleged to have been disguised through those arrangements.

Manchester City has consistently denied wrongdoing and rejected the commission’s conclusions. The club said it was “disappointed and surprised” by the verdict and remains confident that it can overturn the findings through the appeal process.

Guardiola, who managed City from 2016 until his departure last summer, had previously made clear that the charges would not automatically change his commitment to the club. In November 2024, he said he would remain with City even if the club were relegated as a result of the case.

During his time in charge, Guardiola guided City to six Premier League championships, including four consecutive titles, as well as the Champions League, three FA Cups and five League Cups.

Richards: Verdict has been difficult to accept

Former City defender Micah Richards has also spoken about the emotional impact of the verdict.

Richards, who joined City's academy as a teenager and spent much of his career at the club, said he was deeply upset after reading the commission's findings.

He highlighted the language used in the report, particularly the reference to “sham contracts”, and said the situation had been painful for both former players and supporters.

Richards recalled receiving a call from the family he lived with during his early years at the club. The family had supported Manchester City for decades, and he said the uncertainty surrounding the case had left them extremely distressed.

“I haven't got the answers to tell him,” Richards said, explaining that he could not provide the information the supporter was looking for.

Richards acknowledged that City's own response to the verdict presents a different version of events.

He said he felt “saddened”, “angry” and “confused” because supporters were being confronted with the commission's findings while also hearing City's argument that the club had been wrongly judged.

Carragher calls for titles to be reconsidered

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher offered a more critical response to the verdict.

Speaking on Sky Sports News and The Rest Is Football podcast, Carragher said he believed the controversy could affect how City's achievements are viewed, particularly by the players who were involved during the period covered by the investigation.

He argued that City players had been relying on assurances from the club's leadership and could now feel that their achievements had been undermined.

Carragher also questioned whether titles won during the period covered by the charges should remain in City's record. He distinguished between removing honours from City's history and deciding whether those championships should subsequently be awarded to other clubs.

His comments also focused on the emotional significance of trophies for players, rather than simply the physical medals themselves.

The 2013-14 Premier League title was particularly significant in that context. Manchester City finished two points ahead of Liverpool, denying Steven Gerrard and his team-mates their closest opportunity to win the Premier League during Gerrard's career.

For City, however, the legal process is not necessarily over. The club has continued to reject the allegations and has until 2 October to submit an appeal against the commission's findings.

The case therefore remains unresolved from the club's perspective, with Manchester City maintaining that it can demonstrate its innocence despite the commission's verdict.

Manchester City have reportedly been found guilty of 114 of the 115 Premier League charges relating to alleged financial breaches between 2009 and 2018.

The findings follow a lengthy independent hearing into the club’s financial affairs. The allegations include claims that City failed to provide accurate financial information and did not properly disclose certain payments involving players and coaches.

Manchester City have consistently denied the allegations.

No sanction has been announced following the reported findings, and the club is expected to appeal.

The case could have significant consequences for Manchester City, who have enjoyed an unprecedented period of success since Sheikh Mansour’s takeover in 2008.

During that era, City have won eight Premier League titles, four FA Cups, seven League Cups and one Champions League.

Potential sanctions could include a substantial points deduction or other disciplinary measures. However, the final punishment has yet to be determined, and any appeal could further extend the process.

The latest development therefore represents a major turning point in the long-running case, but the final outcome remains unresolved.

Cristiano Ronaldo has been provisionally suspended by the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) as authorities investigate his departure from Portugal’s national team training camp in September.

The FPF’s Disciplinary Council confirmed the development in a statement reported by Portuguese public broadcaster RTP on Saturday, October 10, 2026.

According to the statement, disciplinary proceedings were initiated on October 9 following reports received by the council on October 7 concerning the circumstances surrounding the forward’s departure.

The council also imposed a provisional suspension on the Portugal captain. The federation described the measure as a “non-automatic provisional suspension,” indicating that the matter remains subject to further disciplinary review.

The case was subsequently referred to the FPF’s Disciplinary Investigation Commission on October 10 and designated as urgent. The federation added that information relating to the proceedings would remain confidential until the investigation had been concluded.

Portuguese sports broadcaster SPORT TV also reported the decision, citing the federation’s disciplinary statement.

 Ronaldo Apologises for Leaving Training Camp

Ronaldo’s suspension follows an incident on September 30, when he reportedly left Portugal’s training camp in Copenhagen amid a disagreement with head coach Jorge Jesus over his role within the team.

In a report published on October 6, beIN SPORTS said the 41-year-old forward had apologised for his decision to leave the camp and acknowledged that he could face disciplinary consequences.

“I should not have done it. The responsibility is exclusively mine,” Ronaldo said in a statement quoted by the broadcaster.

The Portugal captain also reportedly apologised to his teammates, accepting responsibility for his actions and indicating that he would respect any punishment handed down by the football authorities.

Despite the controversy, Ronaldo has no intention of ending his international career. According to beIN SPORTS, he has expressed his willingness to return to the national team once any suspension has been served. RTP also reported that the forward remained open to rejoining the Portugal squad.

 Final Disciplinary Decision Still Pending

The FPF’s latest action represents a provisional measure rather than a final ruling on the case. The ongoing investigation is expected to examine the circumstances surrounding Ronaldo’s departure and determine whether further disciplinary sanctions are warranted.

For now, the federation has not disclosed what additional punishment, if any, the forward could face. Details of the investigation will remain confidential until the proceedings are completed.

Ronaldo’s future involvement with Portugal will therefore depend, in part, on the outcome of the disciplinary process and any sanctions ultimately imposed by the federation.

If the reported findings against Manchester City are ultimately upheld, English football will face a reckoning that goes far beyond points, fines or even trophies.

The reported conclusion that City have been found guilty of 114 of 115 Premier League financial-rule charges represents one of the most consequential moments in the history of the competition.

But this is not yet the end of the story.The sanctions have not been announced. The full reasoning behind the findings has not been made public. Manchester City are expected to appeal.

Those distinctions matter. Yet if the findings survive the appeals process, football will have to confront a question that reaches to the heart of the modern game:

Can a competition claim to have meaningful financial rules if breaches of those rules can take years to resolve and consequences arrive long after the sporting contests themselves have been decided? That is the real issue.

 The question of competitive integrity

Manchester City have become one of the defining forces of English football. During the period covered by the allegations, the club won multiple Premier League titles and established itself among the elite of European football.

If the reported findings are ultimately upheld, the debate will inevitably move beyond the technical details of individual regulations. It will become a question of competitive integrity.

That does not mean every City victory should automatically be erased, every trophy removed or every match rewritten. Football does not work that simply.But rival supporters and clubs are entitled to ask a basic question: what are financial regulations actually worth if breaking them carries consequences only years after the competitive advantage may already have been gained? The answer will depend heavily on what punishment follows.

 The punishment could reshape English football

The Premier League has a range of disciplinary powers available in serious cases, including financial penalties, points deductions, suspension and, in the most extreme circumstances, expulsion.

A points deduction would have an obvious sporting impact.Relegation or expulsion would be something else entirely. The consequences could spread through almost every part of the club's operation: broadcasting income, sponsorships, player contracts, recruitment, European qualification and the ability to retain a squad assembled to compete at the highest level.

And the effects would not necessarily stop at Manchester City. A major punishment could alter league positions, European places and financial distributions, potentially creating consequences for clubs that had nothing to do with the original allegations.

But it would be wrong to treat any particular punishment as inevitable.The sanction has yet to be announced, and the appeal process remains an essential part of the case.The reported findings are a major development. They are not necessarily the final word.

 Then comes the compensation question

There is another potential battle waiting beyond the disciplinary process: compensation. If other clubs believe they suffered financial losses because of Manchester City's alleged breaches, they could potentially seek damages through separate legal or regulatory channels.

That would take the dispute into much more complicated territory. It is one thing to establish that a rule was broken. It is another to demonstrate that a particular club suffered a specific financial loss because of that breach and then establish what that loss was worth.

The arguments could involve league positions, prize money, European qualification, commercial opportunities and other sporting consequences.Whether such claims ultimately succeed is impossible to say at this stage.But the fact that the possibility exists illustrates the extraordinary reach of this case.

## And what happens to the trophies?

This is where emotion is likely to overwhelm reason. If the findings are upheld, there will inevitably be calls for Manchester City's titles to be stripped and historical records rewritten.But a disciplinary case cannot simply be settled by public outrage.

There is a crucial distinction between punishing a club for regulatory breaches and retrospectively declaring that individual matches or entire competitions never counted.Any decision about titles, points or historical records must have a clear legal and regulatory foundation.That principle cuts both ways.

Manchester City must have the right to challenge the findings through the established appeal process. Equally, if the findings survive that process, the Premier League must enforce its regulations consistently and transparently. The credibility of the system depends on both principles.

 The bigger failure may be the length of the process

Perhaps the most uncomfortable question is not about Manchester City at all. It is about the system itself.

The allegations were investigated over a period of years. Charges were brought in 2023. The independent hearing concluded in 2024. The reported verdict has now emerged in 2026.That is an extraordinary length of time for a sporting disciplinary case.

Football can accept complex investigations. What becomes harder to defend is a system in which the consequences of alleged wrongdoing may remain unknown for years while the competition continues around them.

Players change.Managers leave.Squads are rebuilt.Trophies are won.Relegations and promotions take place. And yet the central question remains unresolved.

Rules cannot fully protect competitive integrity if enforcement moves at a pace that allows several seasons to pass before accountability arrives.That is why this is bigger than Manchester City.It is a test of football governance itself.

The hardest punishment may not be financial

There is also a consequence that no commission can easily quantify. Reputation.Even if Manchester City succeed in reducing or overturning some findings on appeal, the controversy surrounding this period of the club's history will not simply disappear.

And if the reported findings are ultimately upheld, every future discussion of Manchester City's extraordinary modern success will inevitably be accompanied by questions about the financial-rule case.

That does not erase the football played on the pitch.It does, however, change the context in which that history is remembered.

A fine can be paid.Points can be deducted.A season eventually ends. But questions about the legitimacy of an era can survive for generations.

The final judgment must come from the final judgment

For now, caution remains essential. There is a fundamental difference between reported findings, the commission's detailed reasoning, the eventual punishment and the outcome of an appeal.

Those stages should not be collapsed into one.Manchester City have denied the allegations and have the right to challenge the findings through the proper process.

Football should therefore resist the temptation to write the final chapter before the final judgment exists.But it should also recognise the scale of what is at stake.

If 114 of the 115 reported charges are ultimately upheld, this will not simply be a story about whether Manchester City lose points or trophies.It will be a test of whether English football's financial rules possess enough authority to protect the competition they were designed to regulate. Because ultimately, this is not just about Manchester City.

It is about every club that follows the rules, every player who competes under them and every supporter who believes that the outcome of a football match should be decided on the pitch — within a system in which the same rules apply to everyone.

The punishment will matter. The appeal will matter. The trophies will matter.But the biggest question will be whether, when this extraordinary case is finally over, anyone still believes the rules mean what they say.

 

Switzerland captain Granit Xhaka is facing an investigation by prosecutors in Lucerne over allegations that he obtained a fraudulent Covid-19 vaccination certificate in 2022.

Swiss authorities confirmed that an investigation is ongoing to establish whether Xhaka committed a criminal offence by obtaining or using a certificate that was false or forged.

Xhaka, 33, who was playing for Arsenal at the time, addressed the matter publicly on Monday. He admitted that he obtained a vaccination certificate after struggling with doubts about the Covid-19 vaccine.

The Sunderland midfielder said he had been affected by "worries and uncertainty" and acknowledged that he should have dealt with his concerns differently.

Xhaka said he now accepts that his decision was wrong, apologized for his actions and confirmed that he would cooperate fully with the investigation.

Although Switzerland did not impose a nationwide legal obligation for everyone to possess a Covid certificate, certificates were required for access to certain venues, activities and forms of travel during the pandemic. Restrictions remained in place until spring 2022, while certificates continued to be issued afterward mainly for international travel.

The potential consequences for Xhaka have not yet been established. A previous Swiss case involving national ice hockey coach Patrick Fischer provides one example of how authorities have dealt with the issue. Fischer was convicted in 2023 after using a fake Covid certificate connected to his participation at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing and was fined 38,000 Swiss francs. He was later dismissed from his position and received a four-year ban from the International Ice Hockey Federation.

Following Xhaka's statement, the Swiss Football Association confirmed that he would withdraw from the national team's upcoming Nations League fixtures against North Macedonia, Scotland and Slovenia.

The association said the decision was reached jointly by Xhaka and the team's management. His future with the national side is expected to be discussed after the international break.

Xhaka is Switzerland's record appearance holder, with 152 international caps. The midfielder also captained the country at this year's World Cup, where Switzerland reached the quarter-finals before losing to eventual runners-up Argentina.

At club level, Sunderland manager Régis Le Bris declined to comment on the investigation after his side's defeat by Manchester City.

Le Bris said the matter was outside his responsibility, adding that his focus was football and describing Xhaka's performances on the pitch positively.

The investigation remains ongoing, and no criminal conviction against Xhaka has been reported.

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