FIFA Moves to Reset Nigerian Football Administration, Sets May 2027 Deadline
The Bureau of the FIFA Council has approved the appointment of a Normalisation Committee to manage the affairs of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) pending fresh elections into its Executive Committee.
The NFF announced the decision in a statement, citing a letter signed by FIFA Secretary-General Mattias Grafström and addressed to Dr. Emmanuel Ikpeme.
According to the letter, the committee will comprise an appropriate number of members to be jointly appointed by FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as soon as possible.
The committee will remain in office until it completes its assigned tasks, but its tenure must not extend beyond May 31, 2027.
FIFA also stated that none of the committee members would be eligible to contest any position in the forthcoming NFF elections.
In the interim, the NFF Secretariat will continue to oversee the federation’s day-to-day operations and the administration of Nigerian football until the committee is appointed.
The decision follows a series of developments in Nigerian football administration in August, when former NFF President Ibrahim Gusau, General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi, and members of the federation’s Executive Committee resigned.
The National Sports Commission subsequently approved Emmanuel Ikpeme as interim General Secretary and Ademola Olajire as interim Deputy General Secretary, while the planned NFF elective congress was suspended pending reforms.
President Bola Tinubu had also directed a comprehensive reform of Nigerian football, tasking the NSC with working with the NFF and engaging FIFA and CAF on the process.
