Sports
Harnessing Youth Talents Through Soccer Academies
Youth soccer academies are institutions charged with identifying and training budding soccer talents for future use in big football clubs and national teams.
Sports analysts note that these academies have become veritable means of nurturing and grooming promising young footballers until they are mature for maximum exposure in clubs.
They add that many of the renowned soccer stars were discovered and nurtured via this process.
For those that evolved the strategy, their guiding principle is, perhaps, in line with the popular axiom that says “stars are not just born but they are also made’’.
FIFA, the world soccer governing body, apparently shares the vision, as it has consistently been promoting the formation youth academies, so as to identify talented footballers early in life and nurture them for future stardom.
On Feb 1, 2009, FIFA, in an apparent move to protect the age-group teams, particularly those with players below the age of 18 years, decided that there would be an additional need for FIFA’s approval to achieve successful transfers.
In essence, the new rule is aimed at establishing the consent of the players, their parents and national football federations in such transfers and FIFA says that the regulation applies to all its 208 affiliate nations.
FIFA also initiated age-group competitions to sharpen the focus of the young soccer talents, while gauging their performances.
In1985, FIFA created the JVC U-16 World Youth Championship, which was eventually upgraded to become the FIFA U-17 World Cup.
Since then, the world soccer body had initiated other global age-group tournaments such as the U-21 World Cup and the Olympic soccer event for U-23s.
Nigeria won the maiden edition of the JVC Cup in China in 1985, while she also won the upgraded FIFA U-17 in 1993 in Japan. The country later won the 2007 edition of the tournament in South Korea.
Sports pundits note that many Nigerian stars like Wilson Oruma, Nduka Ugbade, Victor Igbinoba, Nwankwo Kanu, Victor Ikpeba, Tijani Babangida, Austin ‘Jay Jay” Okocha, Celestine Babayaro and Emmanuel Babayaro were products of the age-group competitions.
The star players were recruited by top European clubs; where they developed their skills and became celebrities.
Nigeria again proved that she had become a force to be reckoned with in football at the 1996 Atlanta Games in the U.S., where she won the Olympic soccer gold. This, she did at the expense of soccer giants like Brazil and Argentina.
Argentina fought back at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing to keep Nigeria in check with a lone goal to clinch the Olympic gold.
Other African countries like Ghana, Cameroon and Gambia have also performed well in global age-group soccer tournaments.
Since then, many academies have sprung up in some African countries, including Nigeria, to produce young soccer talents.
Soccer academies have been established in Ghana, Senegal, Cote d’Ivoire, Cameroons and Nigeria but observers note that their operations have been fraught with some inherent problems that limited their growth.
Soccer pundits note that many of the academies have not been affiliated to clubs, while their products have been unable to play for local or foreign clubs.
They also observe that the standard of the soccer academies in Africa was far below of the standard of those in Europe which strive to achieve a healthy mix of soccer training and schooling.
It was, perhaps, the need to bridge this yawning gap that compelled Gov. Bukola Saraki of Kwara to team up with Kojo Williams, a former Chairman of the Nigeria Football Association (NFA), to establish a soccer academy known as “Ilorin School of Football Excellence’’.
The academy was patterned after European soccer academies but Saraki and Williams parted ways, shortly before the inauguration of the academy. Even Clemence Westahoff, a one-time Technical Adviser to the Super Eagles, who was engaged as the academy’s Director, soon left after some misunderstanding.
The question, therefore, is: What are the missing links responsible for the problems of soccer academies in Africa?
A recent tour of the German league, “Bundesliga’’, reveals that the German model of soccer academy has some elements that are glaringly deficient in African soccer academies.
Kay Oliver-Lagendoff, Press Officer of the Deutsche Fusball Liga (DFL), otherwise known the Bundesliga, said that the setting up of soccer academies in Germany was part of the conditions specified by all 36 clubs that founded the Bundesliga in 2001.
“It is an integral part of the Bundesliga licensing package that all soccer clubs should have academies.
“After Germany failed at ‘Italia ‘90’ and in some other competitions, it dawned on us that something should be done to re-build our national teams,’’ Oliver-Lagendoff said, adding: “There is also the need to rekindle the interest of youths in organised soccer.’’
Oliver-Lagendoff said that the academies were also meant to serve as a reservoir of players for German clubs.
“It is also part of the strategy to reduce the clubs’ over-dependence on foreign players. The process also aims at raising national teams that comprise appreciable number of youths, who were hitherto derailing and needed to be refocused,’’ he said.
Oliver-Lagendoff said that with the right marketing mix, there was a strong desire to fill stadiums with well-groomed professionals with the right mentality to raise the profile of the Bundesliga.
“It was decided that the academies remain the best option to sustain the supply chain of talents to clubs and national teams. The strategy paid off, as the academies now guarantee a steady source of employment to many German youths,’’ he said.
Also speaking, Kay Dammholz, Vice-President (Sales, Audio Visual Rights) of the Bundesliga, noted that as at Sept. 1, this year, of the 5,000 youths registered in soccer academies across Germany, 110 made it into the Bundesliga, while 88 made it into Bundesliga 2.
He said that the academies’ operations by the clubs had since been standardised.
“They are expected to have U-9, U-10, U-11 teams without any form of restrictions. They also have U-12, U-13, U-14, U-15 squads and one team can have up to 22 players.
“They are also expected to have high-performance categories, made up of U-16, U-17, U-18 and U-19 teams and one team can have up to 22 players.
“They are also to have the U-16 to U-19 category, of which 12 of the players must be eligible to play for a German FA Youth National Team,’’ he said.
Besides, Dammholz said that the Bundesliga had a standing committee that toured the clubs to ensure that recommended standards were strictly adhered to.
“The committee also helps to ensure that the there is a healthy marriage between schooling and soccer,’’ he said.
Stefan Satore, the Head Coach of the FSA Mainz 05 Academy, said that “with the right mix of education and soccer, the academy ensures the breeding of talents for senior teams.
“We work with schools to ensure that our products take their academic work as seriously as they take their soccer careers,’’ hen said.
Commenting on the German experience, Mitchell Obi, a journalist, and Nkechi Obi, a sports marketer, stressed the need to promote a mix of education and sports in Nigeria, so as to ensure that footballers, even after their sporting careers, would be able to migrate to other vocations without problems.
“It is at the youth level that the philosophies of professionalism and team spirit can be instilled in the players,’’ Mitchell said.
Emeka Odikpo, a sports commentator, said: “Although some soccer academies currently exist across Nigeria, they have been largely unable to place their players in local or foreign clubs.
“What then is their use if they unable to place players in clubs?’’ he asked, stressing that “the academies must be affiliates of clubs to facilitate the easy movement of their products into clubs either at home or abroad.
“The Nigeria Football Federation or the National League Board should make it mandatory for clubs to own academies, as this will enable the products of the academies to be gainfully engaged in the clubs. This is the only way to appreciate the academies’ usefulness,’’ Odikpo said.
He noted that all the members of the Swedish team to the 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup hosted by Nigeria were all products of their soccer academies, adding: “Their clinical finish at the tournament was an indication of their good upbringing.’’
Nnamdi Okosieme, the Sports Editor of Next Newspapers, who also took part in the German Bundesliga tour, said that “efforts should be made to replicate the German model of soccer academy in Nigeria’’.
Nezianya writes for News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
Tony Nezianya
The January 16, 2026, deadline handed to Nigeria by the World Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) to explain the circumstances surrounding multiple dates of birth for 17 Nigerian athletes may have triggered another round of trouble for the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN).
In countries where sport is seen as a serious business, both governments and individuals treat age falsification as a crime due to the significant danger it poses to society.
Age falsification is a practice where athletes, coaches, or individuals within the system alter their ages to gain an unfair advantage, and in the process prevent younger and qualified individuals from career progression and employment opportunities.
Apart from leading to frustration and high youth unemployment rates, competing in lower age brackets or extending eligibility undermines the fairness, credibility and integrity that sports are meant to embody.
The ripples of such dishonesty stretch far, impacting individual athletes, programmes, and the global reputation of competitive athletics.
From a moral standpoint, age falsification erodes trust within the sporting community; it kills the morale of junior athletes, who train tirelessly only to compete against older folks or those who are more developed physically and mentally. This level of deceit not only denies younger athletes the recognition that they deserve but also creates an uneven playing field that violates the spirit of competition.
Beyond emotional consequences, the long-term damage could hinder the development of talented athletes, who may decide to walk away due to unfair competition.
In well-organised sports societies like the United Kingdom and the United States, severe legal penalties await offenders, including imprisonment and fines, as well as career consequences (loss of job, medals, or permanent bans), among others.
Such serious-minded countries see age falsification as fostering a culture of dishonesty and fraud, as other corrupt acts often move in tandem with it, making the system less efficient and effective.
To them, age falsification undermines trust and accountability within institutions, as it signals a corrupt and unfair system. It tarnishes a nation’s international reputation, leading to global ridicule and sanctions from international bodies like FIFA, World Athletics (WA) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Conversely, in Nigeria, age falsification seems to have become a practice among certain individuals and organisations, as they see every competition as a “must-win” event to impress their patrons. Yet, there are some Nigerians who view age falsification as a systemic issue, driven by economic and social pressure from “pay masters”, not minding the results, which include breakdown of integrity, fairness, and efficiency at all levels of society.
The Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), for the second time in two years, has become a centre of global attention, following a December 2, 2025, letter from the World Athletics’ Integrity Unit (AIU) that raised concerns about multiple dates of birth for 17 Nigerian athletes, who competed at the 2025 African Combined U-18/U-20 Athletics Championships in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
In June 2024, the AIU queried the AFN following discrepancies in the ages of four Nigerian athletes, who were preparing for the World U-20 Championships in Lima, Peru.
The AIU said then that it “identified discrepancies regarding the date of birth (DOB) for at least four Nigerian athletes,” noting that “each of these athletes has at least two, and sometimes three or more, different DOBs, which have been used to enter competitions at different times.”
The AIU said: “It was not aware of any reason why these athletes appear to have completely different, multiple DOBs. It is also not clear whether the identification documents submitted by the athletes (such as passports) are true or whether they have been forged or falsified.”
The AIU letter on June 7, 2024, addressed to AFN President Tonobok Okowa and former Secretary Rita Moshindi, was signed by the Head of the Athletics Integrity Unit, Brett Clothier. It gave the AFN until Friday, June 21, 2024, to respond to the query.
Then, the AIU demanded that the AFN submit, among other things, the athletes’ current passport, all previous passports, birth certificates, national ID cards, documents submitted in support of passport applications, medical records, including hospitalisation records, dental records, vaccination records as well as education records, including matriculation records, school end-of-term/year reports and school examination results, among others.
In the current query, the AIU revealed shocking discrepancies, as Juliana Ademola Temitope, listed as born in 2005 in earlier competitions, had her date of birth suddenly changed to 2006 at the African Junior Championships.
Adeola Adenji Muideen appeared with a 2004 birthdate in Lagos, but astonishingly became 2009 elsewhere. Esther Aiffigbo competed in 2025 as a 2006-born athlete, yet her World Athletics profile lists 2002 as her year of birth.
Ibrahim Ajibare has no fewer than four different dates of birth, ranging from 2002 to 2009, while Emmanuel Blessing’s DOB was entered as 2007 at the Juniors, but 2002 at the Asaba Trials.
For the AIU, these definitely are not clerical errors, but deliberate manipulations designed to sneak overage athletes into junior competitions. The AIU has made it clear that such practices undermine the honesty standard of athletics and cast doubt on Nigeria’s integrity in global sport.
The demand by AIU is clear: the AFN must produce verifiable documents such as birth certificates, passports, school records, or medical files to prove the athletes’ true ages.
Anything less will trigger a formal investigation into age manipulation, a violation of the World Athletics Technical Rules and the Integrity Code of Conduct.
As it stands, unless the AFN produces credible, contemporaneous documents by the January 16 deadline, the country will face another round of investigations that may tarnish its athletes’ reputations and damage the country’s image.
Instead of answering the AIU’s direct questions on why athletes have conflicting dates of birth, the AFN elected to sit in judgment over itself by setting up a probe panel made up of some of its board members.
To some stakeholders, that is a conflict of interest.
A former President of the AFN, Olamide George, told The Guardian from his base in the United States of America that the issue of age falsification under the present AFN leadership has long been a troubling shadow over the federation’s integrity.
“The AIU’s introduction of stricter sanctions could represent a turning point in addressing this long-standing challenge,” George said. “For every cheat, there must be a penalty.”
The Ondo State-born sports administrator further said: “After thorough investigation by AIU, it could decide to suspend the affected athletes, ban officials implicated in the fraud, and penalise the federation, to deliver justice while signalling a commitment to reform.”
According to him, the AFN needs advanced biometric solutions or data verification systems to pre-empt tampering with documents like birth certificates.
“But the question is, ‘Is the leadership ready to lead? Is it equipped and prepared for leadership?’ What a shame. These measures put the spotlight not just on athletes, but also on the adults or institutions that enable such practices. After all, the root cause often lies in organised manipulation rather than individual decisions.”
George continued: “On the flip side, a key challenge is how to balance the punishment with fairness. Some athletes may find themselves penalised for actions they didn’t directly control, particularly minors whose documents were altered by parents, coaches, or administrators. This raises broader ethical debates.
“How do we ensure that sanctions deter dishonesty without unfairly punishing victims of a corrupt system? Governments and athletics’ governing bodies will need to walk a fine line between accountability and compassion.
Ultimately, these stringent measures are aimed at restoring confidence in the purity of athletic achievements.
Sanctions alone, however, may not be enough. I, therefore, call on the NSC to reform the AFN because the federation needs systemic reform, including better education, transparency, and more pathways for athletes to rise on merit. Only then can sports truly embody values like honesty, dedication, and perseverance; values worth preserving for future generations.”
“The AFN President, Tonobok Okowa, should be the first to stand accused. He failed to act when the issue first emerged, and his poor judgment in appointments has only deepened the rot.”
Even before setting up a probe panel to investigate the latest age falsification saga, the AFN boss, Okowa, had absolved the federation of blame, but fingered athletes and their coaches in the age-cheating scandal.
Speaking on a radio programme, Talk Sports, Okowa insisted that athletes and their coaches are responsible for the infractions. He described the behaviour of some athletes and their coaches as “worrisome.”
“This issue has nothing to do with the AFN. Athletes keep attending different competitions with their coaches, who register them with varying dates of birth. You can see somebody with a date of birth that is just about 13 days different. Is that a typographical error or whatever it is?” he asked.
Okowa explained that the federation, which had perfected its database, was shocked to find out that some athletes entered competitions using different dates of birth that differed from those in its database. “That is just what it is. What reason will a coach have to change the date of birth of an athlete? It is getting worrisome,” he said.
But the president of the Athletics Coaches Association of Nigeria, Solomon Aliu, disagrees with Okowa. He said that coaches should be absolved of the blame because they work with athletes given to them. Aliu, who is also AFN’s Head Coach, described the latest age falsification saga as more of a record-keeping problem.
“Anybody who is blaming age falsification by athletes on coaches’ doorsteps is being untruthful,” Aliu said.
“What I know about crime prevention is to make it difficult for the criminal to commit the crime by putting in place preventative measures. If the AFN Secretariat has a functional database with the relevant information about our athletes from their very first competition, i.e., Date of Birth and other relevant data, athletes or their coaches cannot wake up to change the athletes’ DOB without the Secretariat flagging such an athlete.
“Coaches are not the record keepers of the federation, and as such should not be blamed totally for this mess that we are faced with. I am happy that the NSC is taking the issue of age cheating in our sports seriously. I’m also certain that AFN will wake up to its responsibility to investigate properly and bring to book whoever is involved in this disturbing trend. Until that is done, I won’t accept anybody trying to tarnish the image of our hard-working coaches. We deserve to be patted on the back and not subjected to name-calling. Heads must roll, but let the head of the innocent remain on their necks. Let us all work together in cleaning up our sports, not just of age cheats, but also of dope,” Aliu stated.
To a former Secretary of the Delta State Athletics Association, Monday Akpoyibo, the age falsification scandal in the nation’s athletics became more rampant during the tenure of a former AFN president (names withheld).
“It was during his tenure as AFN president that the issue of age falsification became rampant because of his desire to win at all costs,” Akpoyibo told Tidesports source.
“In the days of Adeyemi Wilson and Dan Ngerem, they had zero tolerance for age cheats. If the AFN had a good database of its athletes, there would be no age falsification. As far back as the 1973 National Sports Festival, there were three categories of athletes. We had the U-13, Intermediate class and Men/Women class. This system enabled athletes to grow from one class to another as they mature into the Games. So, it was pretty difficult to cheat since the federations had your data,” Akpoyibo stated.
The Sky Blue Stars will make their long-awaited return on January 7, when they host Ikorodu City in their NPFL matchday 20 fixture, bringing to an end a five-month spell away from home in Abeokuta.
Chairman of the club, Kunle Soname, confirmed that the stadium was ready to welcome the team and its supporters again after major renovation works were carried out on the pitch.
“Renovation of the pitch has been completed and has been certified even by the FIFA inspection team. Our first game will be against Ikorodu City when the second stanza of the season resumes,” Soname told Tiesports source.
First opened in 2020 and hosting its maiden league fixture in 2021 following the club’s return from the second division, the stadium’s hybrid synthetic turf has now been replaced with a new surface after five years of use.
At the start of the season in August 2025, Remo Stars adopted the MKO Abiola Sports Arena in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, as their temporary home ground while renovation works were ongoing in Ikenne.
However, life in Abeokuta has proved challenging for the champions, who have struggled for consistency in their bid to defend the title. They opened the campaign with a 1-1 draw against Rivers United on August 22, 2025, before suffering home defeats to Rangers International on November 13 and Bendel Insurance, who edged them 3-2 on Sunday, December 21.
Remo Stars also played their CAF Champions League preliminary matches in Abeokuta but once again failed to reach the group stage. They cruised past Comoros champions Zilimadjou with a 5-0 aggregate victory in the first round, only to be outclassed by South African giants Mamelodi Sundowns, who sealed a dominant 7-1 aggregate win after a 5-1 victory in Nigeria in October and completing the rout in South Africa.
Currently languishing in 16th position on the NPFL table with 22 points from 19 matches, Remo Stars will hope their return to Ikenne provides the spark needed to revive their campaign in the second stanza of the season.
Head coach Daniel Ogunmodede, who is currently on national team duty with the Super Eagles at the 2025 AFCON, had earlier attributed the club’s slow start in the league to the temporary change in home ground.
“It is not an excuse, but things might have been different if we had played our home games in Ikenne,” Ogunmodede said in August 2025, following the draw against Rivers United.
Remo Stars enjoyed a remarkable run in the league last season, clinching their first-ever title with 71 points, seven clear of second-placed Rivers United.
While they may no longer be in contention for the crown this term, it remains to be seen how much they can salvage from the campaign upon their return home.
Remo Stars owner Kunle Soname has launched a strong criticism of officiating in the Nigeria Premier Football League, calling for referees involved in what he described as clear and obvious errors this ongoing season to be held accountable and demoted, Tidesports source reports. .
Speaking to the media on Wednesday at the Remo Stars Sports Complex in Ikenne, Soname said the club’s concerns were driven by repeated decisions that have, in his view, tilted matches unfairly.
Remo Stars currently sit 16th on the NPFL table, one place and one point above Barau FC in the first relegation spot, a sharp contrast to last season when they lifted the league title.
Soname referenced several incidents this campaign, including a recent game against Ikorodu City, the matchday 18 fixture involving Remo Stars and Insurance, as well as video footage from the Barau and Shooting Stars encounter, all of which he said highlighted inconsistencies in refereeing decisions.
He insisted that the issue was not a blanket attack on referees but a demand for accountability and consistency.
“Referees can be good. They can get the job done. They just decide to apply the rules in a different way. Now, we have just brought this out now because they are clear and obvious errors. But we all know football, there are many instances where their bias will not result in goals,” Soname said.
He added that the problem often lies in repeated marginal decisions favouring one side.
Say 50-50 calls, they are just consistently giving it to one side, one side, one side. So if there is a body that will watch all the games and that will hold them accountable and say, ‘Listen my friend, why is this a foul in this match for this team in yellow, and the same thing has happened here against them and it’s not a foul?’ Then everybody will sit up and the game will be fair.”
He added, “The committee should reward referees who are doing great jobs and punish those with poor officiating by demoting them to the NNL. It is not the kind of demotion that after one or two weeks they are back, they should be demoted for the entire season.”
Soname stressed that fairness was fundamental to the growth of Nigerian football.
“The better teams will win and that is how football can develop and grow in this country,” he said.
He was also keen to distance his comments from what he described as a misdirected attack on the Nigeria Football Federation.
They will say, ‘He’s attacking NFF.’ It has got nothing to do with NFF. NFF did not appoint referees. It is the committee that appointed the referees. NFF did not hold the whistle to come and do stupid things on the pitch,” he said.
According to Soname, responsibility must be shared between match officials and those who appoint them.
“The referees will carry their cross and the appointment committee will carry their cross as well. Under whose purview is the referee appointment? NFF committee appointed them. That is exactly what I’m saying,” he stated.
He called on the federation to ensure the right people oversee officiating.
“The NFF needs to put proper people there, proper people, that will just ensure accountability and fairness. That is all we require. And trust me, if there is fairness on the pitch, this football will grow astronomically in this country.”
Soname also rejected suggestions that Remo Stars had benefited from refereeing favouritism in the past, particularly during their title-winning campaign.
“Anybody that says he collected one cent from Remo Stars last season, season before last, season before that one, should come out and say it and I will sack that official the same day. That is not what we stand for,” he said.
“I challenge anybody, anybody. If the person can prove it, the person that did that in this club is gone the same day. Gone,” Soname said, adding that Remo Stars’ operations were transparent and could not conceal such payments.
Beyond officiating, Soname highlighted the broader financial realities of Nigerian football, noting that most clubs operate at a loss. He explained that Remo Stars rely heavily on their academy model to sustain the club.
However, he argued that financial strength should be expressed through squad building rather than manipulation.
“If you have more money, go and recruit Ronaldo, pay him, he will score 30 goals and you will win the league. Resources need to be channeled towards competition, towards fairness. It cannot be the other way,” Soname said.
