FIFA Still Deciding on NFF, Plans to Visit Nigeria

FIFA, the body that oversees football worldwide, says it has not yet made a decision about the future of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). This comes after the resignation of the NFF president, Ibrahim Gusau, General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi, and other Executive Committee members.

In a letter sent to the NFF's deputy general secretary, Emmanuel Ikpeme, on Monday, FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) said they are looking into the legal and administrative issues surrounding the NFF. They want to understand the implications of the recent changes before taking any steps.

Gusau led a wave of resignations from the NFF on Thursday, August 27. This happened amid growing concerns about the performance of Nigeria’s national teams, especially since both the senior men’s and women’s teams failed to qualify for their World Cups.

These resignations came just days before the NFF election scheduled for September 27. In response, the National Sports Commission stepped in to follow President Bola Tinubu’s call for action due to what he called “repeated failures.”

A Nigerian team led by NSC Chairman Shehu Dikko met with FIFA president Gianni Infantino and other officials at FIFA House in Zurich, Switzerland, on September 1.

FIFA mentioned in its letter that it has not yet made a decision, despite various messages from Nigerian stakeholders. “We refer to the various communications recently received by FIFA and CAF concerning developments within the Nigeria Football Federation,” said FIFA’s Chief Member Associations Officer Elkhan Mammadov.

He added, “We also refer to the meeting held at the Home of FIFA in Zurich on 1 September between FIFA, CAF, the NFF administration and representatives from the Federal Government of Nigeria, during which the current situation of the NFF was discussed. FIFA and CAF are currently assessing the legal, governance, administrative and electoral implications arising from the current circumstances within the NFF.”

FIFA stated that this assessment needs a careful review of the facts and the NFF rules. At this point, they have not reached any conclusions about the situation and have not made any decisions about what to do next.

This situation puts the plan for a normalization committee on hold. FIFA and CAF have not yet decided on the right course of action. Ikpeme, who the NSC backed as the acting General Secretary of the NFF, was referred to by FIFA as the Deputy General Secretary in their letter. He is to act as the main contact person between the NFF, FIFA, and CAF until further notice.

FIFA also announced that the planned elections for September 27 are now on hold. They explained that this decision does not support the current issues in the NFF. It is only to give FIFA and CAF time to finish their assessment and talk to the relevant stakeholders.

FIFA and CAF teams will come to Abuja to meet with the NFF, Congress members, electoral bodies of the NFF, and the National Sports Commission. “The mission will allow FIFA and CAF to better understand the circumstances surrounding the recent developments within the NFF,” FIFA said.

They also want to hear the views of different stakeholders and identify any issues that might need further attention under FIFA, CAF, and NFF rules. After completing this assessment, FIFA and CAF will decide if any recommendations should be made to their decision-making bodies.

“Until then, the outcome of the assessment remains open, and no assumptions should be made about any actions FIFA and CAF may take,” FIFA concluded.