FIFA Looks at Different Views on NFF Changes

FIFA and CAF finished looking into the Nigeria Football Federation crisis on Tuesday. The different views from stakeholders now leave the football bodies to think about the next steps for proposed reforms, The PUNCH reports.

FIFA visited after the mass resignation of NFF president Ibrahim Gusau, General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi, and other board members on August 27. This happened amid growing concerns over the performances of Nigeria's national and youth teams. The senior men's and women's teams both failed to qualify for their World Cups.

The FIFA and CAF team included Ahmed Harraz, head of FIFA Member Association Governance Services, Rolf Tanner from FIFA's Member Association Governance, El Hadj Wack Diop from the FIFA Regional Office for West Africa, and CAF Legal Manager Nnaemeka Olu.

At the end of their two-day visit, The PUNCH learned that different groups within the NFF and the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria were consulted.

"The players union, coaches, and referees association agreed on the same path for Nigeria football reform. Representation on congress, NFF board, standing committees, and voting rights must be equal in the new structure. We also agreed on a normalisation process led by stakeholders," one attendee told our correspondent on Tuesday.

But, state football association chairmen, who make up most of the NFF Congress and voting group, pushed back against calls for a normalisation committee. They said the current NFF Congress can handle the leadership gap by itself.

Gombe State FA chairman Yakubu Sarma spoke to reporters after the meeting with FIFA and CAF.

"The main point we made to FIFA as Congress members is that Nigerian football is not in crisis. Our leagues are running, our clubs are playing continental matches, our girls are competing internationally, and the NFF Secretariat is working well.

"We don’t need to go outside the existing framework to find a solution."

Another participant at the meeting mentioned that the FA chairmen's idea might face challenges. Setting up a normalisation committee would align with FIFA’s rules.

Former NFF presidents and general secretaries also sent a joint petition to FIFA and CAF. They asked for a six-month normalisation committee to improve how football is run in Nigeria.

The petition was supported by former NFF presidents Sani Lulu Abdullahi and Aminu Maigari. Also backing it were former first vice-president Obinna Ogba and former general secretaries Fanny Amun, Sani Toro, Bolaji Ojo-Oba, and Musa Amadu.

The group suggested starting with discussions among stakeholders. This should be followed by local football council elections, State FA elections, a larger NFF Congress, and finally, national NFF elections.

They also wanted to change the current Congress structure. Right now, State FAs have around 84 percent of the voting power. The goal is to give more representation to leagues, players, coaches, referees, and grassroots organizations.

They argued that just changing people in charge will not fix Nigerian football's problems. They urged the global football leaders to use this assessment mission to create a clear and fair governance system for the future of the game.

The results from the meetings are expected to give more clarity on the proposed reforms, the future leadership of the federation, and how to bring stability back to Nigerian football.