FIFA, CAF Wrap Up Nigeria Mission, Stakeholders Split Over Football Reform

The joint FIFA and Confederation of African Football (CAF) fact-finding mission on Nigeria’s football crisis concluded in Abuja on Tuesday after two days of consultations with a broad spectrum of stakeholders.

The international football bodies met separately with former Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) presidents and secretaries-general, State Football Association chairmen, league representatives, players’ representatives, club owners, former internationals and sports journalists as they seek a way out of the leadership crisis engulfing Nigerian football.

The consultations followed the resignation on August 27 of former NFF president Ibrahim Gusau, General-Secretary Mohammed Sanusi and members of the federation’s Executive Committee.

Among those who met the FIFA-CAF delegation on Tuesday were former NFF presidents Sani Abdullahi Lulu and Aminu Maigari, former first vice-president Senator Obinna Ogba, and former secretaries-general Sani Toro, Musa Amadu and Fanny Amun.

Remo Stars chairman Kunle Soname, former international Segun Odegbami and the leadership of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) were also part of the consultations.

SWAN was represented by National President Isaiah Kemje Benjamin, Secretary-General Ikenna Okonkwo and Deputy Secretary-General Samuel Ahmadu, alongside veteran journalists Mitchell Obi and Mumuni Alao.

The wide-ranging consultations provided FIFA and CAF with perspectives from individuals who have occupied key positions in Nigerian football, as well as those involved in the running, financing and coverage of the game.

A major proposal put before the visiting officials by former NFF administrators was the establishment of a six-month Normalisation Committee to overhaul the country’s football architecture before a fresh electoral process.

The former administrators argued that Nigeria’s recurring football crises were rooted in structural weaknesses, administrative bottlenecks and declining public confidence rather than merely the actions of individual office holders.

They proposed a transition roadmap involving stakeholder consultations, local football council elections, State FA elections, an expanded NFF Congress and, ultimately, national elections.

They also called for a review of the NFF’s voting structure, which they said gives State FAs disproportionate influence, as well as broader representation for leagues, players, coaches, referees and grassroots football.

However, the Normalisation Committee proposal is one of the contentious issues emerging from the consultations, with some State FA chairmen reportedly favouring an interim committee instead.

The disagreement comes as FIFA and CAF assess the implications of the leadership vacuum and the suspended NFF electoral process.

The NFF elective Congress, originally scheduled for September 27 in Lafia, Nasarawa State, remains in uncertainty following FIFA’s September 7 communication directing that the electoral process be suspended while the international bodies assess the situation.

Tuesday’s engagement also saw SWAN advocate a broader “National Football Governance Reset”, warning against simply replacing individuals while retaining structures that have repeatedly produced disputes and governance crises.

The media body called for comprehensive reviews of the NFF Statutes, Congress, membership categories, Electoral College, league governance, State FAs, grassroots football, women’s and youth football, players, coaches, referees, financial governance, dispute resolution and the relationship between government and football administration.

With the consultations now concluded, FIFA and CAF are expected to assess the submissions from the various stakeholder groups before determining the next course of action.

For Nigerian football, the outcome could determine not only how the leadership vacuum is resolved but also whether the long-running governance problems within the NFF receive a fundamental structural overhaul.