26-05-2025
Official: Nigerian football legend Sunday Oliseh appointed to IFAB
The International Football Association Board (IFAB) has appointed Nigerian football legend Sunday Oliseh as a member of its Football Advisory Panel. Such an appointment signifies the passion Oliseh carries for the game of football, on and off the pitch.
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This appointment makes it a significant development for the entire Nigerian nation.
Sunday Oliseh's distinguished football journey
Former Nigerian footballer Sunday Oliseh has a rich career history sprinkled with many accolades. On the international level as a player, he represented the Nigerian football team 63 times, winning the Africa Cup of Nations in the year 1994. He has also claimed an Olympic gold medal in the year 1996. Just like Jürgen Klopp, Oliseh exhibited his talent in top-tier European football, where he earned his stripes with top clubs like Ajax, Juventus, and Borussia Dortmund.
Following his retirement as a player, Sunday Oliseh turned his attention to coaching and football administration, managing the Nigerian national team, the Super Eagles. He has also previously managed clubs in Europe. FIFA has acknowledged his expertise by appointing him to its technical study groups, including during the 2016 Rio Olympics and the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Oliseh worked with the likes of Arsène Wenger and Jürgen Klinsmann in these roles, helping to not only analyse the game but to help shape its next phase at the highest level.
IFAB's role and Sunday Oliseh's contribution
The International Football Association Board (IFAB) decides the Laws of the Game in football. IFAB has also committed to appointing people like Sunday Oliseh to its Football Advisory Panel in order to have a range of voices and experiences represented as it charts a course for the game's next stage. Having had an extensive playing and coaching career, as well as a spell as a technical director, Oliseh is in an ideal position to assess the modern game and its challenges.
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This is not just an individual achievement for him, but also recognition of the African presence in football governance at the international level. As Oliseh takes on this new position after an impressive playing career having had some success of his own recently as a coach, those within the football community will watch closely to see how he positions the game moving forward in such uncertain times, or times when it is easy for people to take away from what makes football as great as it is.
