Mustapha, Green Pass FIFA Integrity Test For NFF Normalisation Committee

Former Confederation of African Football (CAF) Board of Appeal President, Barrister Abdulhakeem Mustapha (SAN), has emerged as a leading contender to head the FIFA-approved Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Normalisation Committee after reportedly passing the world football governing body’s integrity screening.

LEADERSHIP Sports gathered from a reliable source that Mustapha, a former chairman of the NFF Electoral Committee, has successfully completed FIFA’s screening process alongside Rivers State Commissioner for Sports, Barrister Christopher Green, who is also the chairman of the Rivers State Football Association.

Both men are expected to serve on the three-member Normalisation Committee, which FIFA and CAF are expected to unveil to Nigerian football stakeholders and the general public on or before Friday, November 6.

Green is understood to be representing the state football association chairmen in the proposed committee, while the identity of the third member is yet to be established.

Although FIFA and CAF are yet to make an official announcement on the composition of the committee, Mustapha’s reported emergence as the preferred candidate to lead the intervention could prove significant in the efforts to resolve the leadership crisis within Nigerian football.

A legal practitioner with more than two decades of experience, Mustapha has held several important positions in Nigerian football administration, including his tenure as chairman of the NFF Electoral Committee and president of the CAF Board of Appeal.

His experience in football governance, electoral administration and legal matters is expected to be valuable as the committee undertakes the delicate task of restoring institutional stability to the NFF.

Green also brings considerable administrative experience, having served in football governance as Rivers FA chairman while holding a position in the Rivers State Government as Commissioner for Sports.

The proposed committee follows FIFA’s decision to approve a joint FIFA-CAF Normalisation Committee for Nigeria after consultations with relevant stakeholders over the country’s football governance crisis.

The committee is expected to oversee the administration of the NFF, review its statutes, ensure the establishment of an appropriate electoral framework and organise elections for a new board in accordance with FIFA and CAF requirements.

Its mandate is to end once the assigned tasks are completed, but no later than May 31, 2027. Members of the committee will also be ineligible to contest in the elections they are mandated to organise.

The NFF Secretariat is expected to continue handling the federation’s day-to-day administrative responsibilities during the normalisation process.

The intervention followed months of uncertainty over the federation’s leadership and disagreements among stakeholders over the appropriate structure for resolving the crisis