The Nigerian Football Association (NFA) has elected Sani Lulu as its new chairman. The election comes after a two year power struggle for control over Nigerian football.

At the heart of it was a difference of opinion as to how much government involvement there should be in the running of the game.

The Nigerian government believes that as it funds most of the country's sports activities it should have a say in how football run. On the other hand, football's world governing body, Fifa, disagrees.

Until recently the NFA had a chairman, Ibrahim Galadima, whose call for NFA autonomy was welcomed by Fifa. But his attempts to keep the NFA independent of government were not appreciated and he was forced out of office.

This is not the first time an African football association has found itself in such a position. In recent years Kenya, Guinea, Niger, Egypt and Zimbabwe have also run into trouble with Fifa over this issue.

So where do you stand? Should governments who fund the game have a say in how football is run? Are government officials meddling in sport for their own gain? Do you think government involvement in sport is good?

This debate is now closed. Thank you for your comments.

Your comments:

I don't think government should have anything to do with sport. Governments could fund it but should not run sport activities. Sport cannot be part of politics because sport is for everybody and not just for some people.
Sylvia Ashikoto, Walvis Bay, Namibia

Government should not have a say in how football is run. If so, the goal can never be achieved as most of the government officials always seek to serve their selfish interests by imposing players on the manager.
Jimmy, Uyo, Nigeria

If the government wants to participate in football by dictating how it should be run, they should also know that they will kill the sport. Alex, Benin, Nigeria

If the government wants to participate in football by dictating how it should be run, they should also know that they will kill the sport. We all understand that anything that has to do with the name of the country also indirectly involves the government. This does not give governments the right to dictate how football is run even if they provide some percentage of the funds. The government should leave these people alone.
Alex, Benin, Nigeria

Governments have always meddled in the affairs of football associations and it has led to the impediment of the game. What the continent's football associations need to do is market themselves properly and raise enough funds to become self-sustaining.
Jamie Ajayi, London, UK

The Nigerian government has not done anything right in recent years. It made the country the poorest in the world. If you give it the chance to run the sport, it will also make it the poorest, most disgraceful team in the world. To put it short and simple; governments should keep away from the sport.
Ezekiel Nwakwue, Texas, USA

The government should only provide funds but not use sport to obtain political goals.
Ahabwe Augtustus, Kampala, Uganda

I don't think politics should have any connection with sport, because sport is meant for fun and not for power stuggle.
Jerry Kpasie, Minneapolis, USA

Nigeria's football potential can be compared with the crude oil we have in the country; it doesn't benefit the poor because of political involvement. If politics is erased from the running of our sports, especially football, we will definitely excel.
Barth Shepkong, Chicago, USA

Football belongs to the people, and not government Uche Hart, Nigeria

Irrespective of whether government funds the game or not, it is not a licence to dictate how the game should be run. Football belongs to the people, not government.
Uche Hart, Warri, Nigeria

There is nothing we can do about politics influencing sport in Africa. The two are inseparable.
Placide Matsiaba Port Gentil Gabon

Football unfortunately has become a big part of politics, especially in Africa, and Nigeria in particular. Sport, is the only thing that brings joy to the poor masses, and politicians having failed woefully in every other aspect, want to be seen as the only messiah. However, the private sector are anxiously waiting for politicians to withdraw their undue influence from sport to come in and finance it. Untiil sport is devoid of politics, sportsmen and women in Africa will continue to suffer.
Stanley Duru Hillside, USA

Politics destroys the fundamental nature of sport. I advise the new Nigerian FA chief to seek merit and shun backhanders. Nigeria has a wealth of potential, and the best footballers are yet to be found there. If politics is involved again in the NFA, sport in Nigeria will not excel.
Fred, Bamako, Mali

Government should not control sport. What good has government influence brought? It has done more harm than good. Nigeria has the potential to win the World Cup or any other competition. But its politics is full of favouritism, nepotism and tribalism. So, government should not influence sport activities.
Evwierekegba Tega, New York, USA

Today African government officials are deeply meddling into sports for their own gain. I heard of a story that officials of government are often in deals with overseas players in order to maintain their position in the 'field' of play!.
Joe Noutoua Wandah, Liberian in Accra

In Kenya, government involvement in running soccer has borne fruit. The Kenya Football Federation which runs the game in the country has been squabbling over funds for a long time. This has had a negative impact on soccer standards resulting in Kenya failing to qualify for the last African Cup of Nations. But since the government intervened, we have seen some sanity come back into the game and now Kenya is preparing well for the qualifiers for the 2008 tournament in Ghana. I can therefore conclude that Government involvement in soccer can be bad or good depending on the issues at hand. In Kenya's case, the involvement has been fruitful.
James Kihali, Nakuru , Kenya

I think it is high time Nigerians go for integrity and not money. The delegates should elect the most suitable candidate no matter the zone he is coming from so that Nigerians can laugh once more.
Okey Nwafor, Nigeria

He who pays the piper dictates the tune. With less and less government involvement in sport we will see more and more well run federations. Sport should be seen as private enterprise in Africa, or else both the athletes and the administrators will continue to feed on the fat of government and not perform. When less is demanded of government financially, sport will improve. But as long as it is the responsibility of government to fund it, government must be involved.
Julius Joel, Pinetown, South Africa

Governments should interfere in sport, otherwise the players will just act carelessly and change their colour like chameleons without caring much for the country and its people.
Tombe Laki, Perth, Australia

The fact that governments fund sport is not a reason for any politician, no matter how highly placed, to attempt to interfere with sports administration anywhere in the world. Politicians should do their best to stay away from such interference as nothing connects politics and sports. While the former has brought more pain and suffering the latter has brought more unity and happiness.
Leo Benson Ogiegbaen, Barcelona, Spain

This is indeed a disgrace and a slap to the Nigerian people. We thought that the era of government influencing our football is over only for us to get the shock of our lives when Lulu is now FA chairman. FIFA has to do something about governments interference especially in Africa. This inconsistency is now becoming consistent. what a big shame!
Michael Obafemi, Lagos, Nigeria

I am a sport business consultant and our business is to bring African sport to the same level as those attained in Europe, America and Asia. From my experience and dealings with some African sports administrators, I would like to say that they are not ready to be professionalised. Ask many of these so called administrators what experience, knowledge and skills they have. None. So what creditability do they have to handle tax payers money? Bodies such as FIFA should reach an agreement with African governments on a 5 to 10 years plan on making African sports self sustainable.
Emmanuel Aluede, Northamptonshire, UK

On grounds of mismanagement they are right to come in but what makes me sick is the removal of a coach and other officials immediately a team loses any match.
Olet Charles Dickens, Makerere University, Uganda

It's unfortunate that corporate organisations in Nigeria cannot sponsor sport but only the government. Nigeria is the biggest market in Africa but all the multinationals like oil, companies and banks with all their profits, cannot boast of sponsoring sport. I suggest that governments should drag these companies into sports sponsorship or else stop doing business in Nigeria.
Anedo Benson, Lagos, Nigeria

The Government should not be given the right to determine how the game is run and managed.
Smith, Accra, Ghana

Now that is a tricky one. To divorce the government from football is not possible. Money plays a huge part in the game and it is also a tool of control. The day FAs become self sustaining, then we may talk of full autonomy.
John, Abuja, Nigeria

Thanks so much for this chance given to me. I have long waited to express my view. Football has grown beyond government interference and control. What the government should do is to create the enabling environment for football and other sports to grow in Nigeria. Government interference has led to the calling up of some players who would not have played for this country. It has killed the spirit of football in Nigeria.
Peter, Benin City, Nigeria

Absolutely no politics should ever govern sport. Sport like culture, brings people to a better understanding.
Priscilla Lambert, Zimbabwean in UK

We Nigerians have had a bad experience in this matter. Here politics have influenced sport negatively. Funding sport does not give politicians the right to directly run the game. The experts should be left to do the administrative work.
Idorenyin Usen, Nigeria

He who pays the piper calls the tune. Abby, Port Harcourt

He who pays the piper calls the tune. If political influence is done away with then the football authority should be prepared to fund the sports. Abby, Port Harcourt.

In Africa, we have had enough of poor governance in African politics. African political administration has a reputation for unprofessionalism. Fifa administrators have handled football professionally and I doubt the intervention of politicians could bring peace at all. If governments are to intervene then they should do so only on in terms of sponsorship. Phineas Mutsamwira, Harare, Zimbabwe

Politics has to be a part of sport to a certain extent, in terms of finance especially. However what is required is a committee that includes former sportsmen and women who understand exactly what is required to achieve success, to take control of sport and not greedy politicians that are merely after their own interests. Jay, London, England

In some circumstances it could be immoral for a government not to intervene. But unfortunately for African athletes when the government intervenes, which is in practically every decision, it is immoral. Ken Liskamp, Holland

Politics should in no way influence sport. Since most African governments finance it, they use sport to divert public opinion from major issues like good governance, fighting corruption and developmental issues. They use sport to prolong their stay in power without just cause. Ayamba Takang, Yaounde, Cameroon

So what if they are funding the game? They accept funds from the west and refuse to be dictated to on how to use it, but they want to dictate how football is run Revival Nkomo, Dartford UK

Most African governments, though not all, are corrupt and for them to tarnish the beautiful game is unforgivable. So what if they are funding the game? They accept funds from the west and refuse to be dictated how to use it, but they want to dictate how football is run. Talk about hypocrisy at its highest!! They should not meddle in football: it's one thing we have that unites us whilst politics dividing us. Stand down. Revival Nkomo, Dartford UK

If you invest in business you would like to know how that business run. If NFA want to be autonomous, it should find the way to fund it activities, most countries like England, France, Germany, Italy etc do. I am not suggesting that Government should appoint an executive committee to run NFA. What is the purpose of having Minister for Sport and Culture, if not to give direction? If British government did not support the Bid for 2012 Olympic would it succeed? No. Therefore government involvement is paramount. Kunle Mustapha, London UK

Please tell me how the Nigerian Football Association can find the kind of money to run the entire Nigerian football, if not from the Nigerian government? I believe in autonomy of football associations but this is not Europe. I am so sure that it cannot even pay its own electricity bill what of players' allowances and expenses. Please, FIFA, give African football associations till 2050 "maybe" they can be FREE and autonomous by then. Sanni Adebayo, Kano,Nigeria.

Political influence in sporting events especially in African Soccer is something which has to be stopped immediately. I think FIFA should impose very strict sanctions on any nation found to be violating decree 101. Sidney Tazeh, San Diego, USA