FIFA, CAF Weigh Conflicting Proposals Over NFF Reform

FIFA and CAF have concluded their assessment of the crisis within the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

Still, conflicting proposals from key stakeholders leave the football governing bodies to decide the next steps on reforms.

Naija News gathered that the two-day assessment ended on Tuesday, September 15, following the mass resignation of NFF President Ibrahim Gusau, General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi and other board members on August 27.

The crisis came amid growing concerns over the performances of Nigeria’s national and youth teams, including the failure of the senior men’s and women’s teams to qualify for their respective World Cups.

The FIFA and CAF delegation included FIFA Member Association Governance Services team lead Ahmed Harraz, FIFA Head of Member Association Governance Rolf Tanner, FIFA Regional Office for West Africa lead El Hadj Wack Diop and CAF Legal Manager Nnaemeka Olu.

During the mission, the delegation consulted various groups within the NFF, as well as the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN). Players’ representatives, coaches and referees reportedly backed a normalisation process and called for equal representation on the NFF Congress, board, standing committees and voting structures.

“The players union, coaches and referees association aligned on the same pathway for Nigeria football reform. Representation on the congress, NFF board, its standing committees and voting rights must be equal in the new governing structure. We also agreed on a normalisation process driven by stakeholders,” one attendee told The Punch.

However, state Football Association chairmen, who make up the larger part of the NFF Congress and its voting bloc, opposed the proposal for a normalisation committee. They argued that the existing Congress has the authority to address the leadership vacuum within the federation.

Gombe State FA chairman and leader of the state FA delegation, Yakubu Sarma, said, “The key issue we presented before FIFA as Congress members representing the FAs is that Nigerian football is not in crisis. Nigerian football is not in any way in crisis because our leagues are on, our clubs are playing their continental matches, our girls are playing international football, and the NFF Secretariat is functioning.”

Sarma added, “We don’t need to go outside the established framework to start bringing about a solution.” Another representative, however, indicated that the FA chairmen’s position could face resistance because a normalisation committee would be consistent with FIFA’s statutes.

Former NFF presidents and general secretaries have also submitted a petition to the FIFA and CAF mission, calling for the immediate establishment of a six-month normalisation committee. Former NFF presidents Sani Lulu Abdullahi and Aminu Maigari, former first vice-president Obinna Ogba, and former general secretaries Fanny Amun, Sani Toro, Bolaji Ojo-Oba and Musa Amadu endorsed the proposal.

The former officials proposed a structured transition beginning with stakeholder consultations, followed by local football council elections, State FA elections, an expanded NFF Congress and eventually national NFF elections. They also called for changes to the Congress structure, noting that State FAs currently control roughly 84 per cent of the voting power. They want greater representation for leagues, players, coaches, referees and grassroots football bodies.

FIFA and CAF will now consider the positions presented by the various stakeholders as they determine the way forward for the NFF.