Officials from FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) have convened in Abuja to evaluate the legal, administrative, and electoral ramifications of the recent leadership crisis within the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
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The delegation met on Monday at the Abuja Continental Hotel with National Sports Commission (NSC) Chairman Shehu Dikko, alongside representatives of the NFF’s federating units, to establish a roadmap for restoring stability to Nigerian football governance.
The fact-finding mission follows the simultaneous resignation of NFF President Ibrahim Gusau, General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi, and other board members on August 27.
The mass exit came amid heightened public scrutiny over the declining performances of national teams, highlighted by the failure of both the senior men’s and women’s national teams to secure qualification for their respective FIFA World Cups.
The visiting delegation includes FIFA Member Association Governance Services Team Lead Ahmed Harraz, FIFA Head of Member Association Governance Rolf Tanner, FIFA West Africa Regional Office Lead El Hadj Wack Diop, and CAF Legal Manager Nnaemeka Olu.
Prior to broader consultations with the NFF Congress, NSC Chairman Dikko briefed the joint delegation on the Federal Government’s proposed sports sector reform agenda.
Over the coming days, the football governing bodies will review the circumstances surrounding the board’s resignation, evaluate the NFF statutes and electoral process, and deliberate on a revised timetable for an elective congress while addressing long-standing concerns regarding statutory inclusiveness.
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