FIFA weighs divided views on NFF reforms

Dikko (middle) with FIFA and CAF officials

The FIFA and CAF assessment of the crisis within the Nigeria Football Federation ended on Tuesday, with the divergent positions presented by stakeholders now leaving the football governing bodies to weigh the way forward on proposed reforms, The PUNCH reports.

FIFA’s visit followed the mass resignation of NFF president Ibrahim Gusau, General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi and other board members on August 27, amid mounting scrutiny over the performances of Nigeria’s national and youth teams, particularly the failure of the senior men’s and women’s teams to qualify for their respective World Cups.

The FIFA and CAF delegation comprised 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.

At the end of the two-day mission, The PUNCH gathered that various groups within the NFF, as well as the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria, were consulted.

“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 of the attendees told our correspondent on Tuesday.

However, the state football association chairmen, who constitute the larger part of the NFF Congress and voting bloc, were said to have pushed back against calls for a normalisation committee to steady the ship of the NFF, insisting that the existing NFF Congress has the capacity to resolve the current leadership vacuum internally.

Gombe State FA chairman and leader of the state FA delegation, Yakubu Sarma, addressed reporters after the engagement with FIFA and CAF.

“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.

• FIFA, CAF begin assessment of NFF crisis
• Rivers, 3SC get $100k consolation from CAF
• NFF suspends referee over Doma United goal

“We don’t need to go outside the established framework to start bringing about a solution.”

Meanwhile, another representative at the meeting hinted that the FA chairmen’s proposal could face resistance, as setting up a normalisation committee would be in line with FIFA’s statutes.

Also, former presidents and general secretaries of the NFF have jointly petitioned the FIFA and CAF governance assessment mission, demanding the immediate installation of a six-month normalisation committee to overhaul the nation’s football administration.

The proposal was endorsed by 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.

The group recommended a structured transition beginning with stakeholder consultations, followed sequentially by local football council elections, State FA elections, an expanded NFF Congress and, ultimately, national NFF elections.

The proposal also called for an overhaul of the existing Congress structure, where State FAs hold roughly 84 per cent of the voting power, to ensure broader representation for leagues, players, coaches, referees and grassroots bodies.

They argued that changing personnel alone would not be enough to address the problems in Nigerian football, urging the global football authorities to use the assessment mission to establish a binding and transparent governance framework for the future of the game.

The outcome of the engagements is expected to provide greater clarity on the proposed reforms, the future of the federation’s leadership and the process for restoring stability to Nigerian football.