NSC awaits FIFA’s decision on NFF reform - Punch Newspapers

The proposed reform agenda for the Nigeria Football Federation, led by the National Sports Commission, is set to get a clear direction in the coming days as world football governing body FIFA weighs whether to pave the way for a normalisation committee or allow the existing NFF congress to lead the process of stabilising Nigerian football, The PUNCH reports. This follows the conclusion of a FIFA-led consultation with Nigerian football stakeholders in Abuja on Monday and Tuesday to assess the legal and governance structure of the federation following the mass resignation of NFF president Ibrahim Gusau, General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi and other board members on August 27. Gusau and his board resigned 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 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 conclusion of the engagement on Tuesday, the NSC said FIFA and CAF would now consider the views and submissions gathered from Nigerian football stakeholders before determining the next steps in the reform process. “The FIFA and CAF delegation will take the outcome of its consultations back to its leadership in Zurich as part of its assessment of the Nigerian football landscape and decide the appropriate next steps and road map to activate and drive the reforms,” the NSC said in a statement on Wednesday. “The National Sports Commission applauds all the stakeholders for the unanimous alignment and agreement that comprehensive reforms and reset are evidently desirable and remains committed to continuous open, international and deliberate dialogue and collaboration with FIFA, CAF, the NFF members and all relevant stakeholders towards the advancement of Nigerian football and indeed the objectives of comprehensive reforms to reset the ecosystem.” However, stakeholders differed on the mechanism through which the reforms should be implemented. The players’ union, coaches and referees’ association were among those who favoured a normalisation process, with calls for broader representation on the NFF congress, board, standing committees and voting structure. “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. Doma United aim to make NPFL mark – Ayeni Okowa moves to tackle visa hurdles for athletes EPL to have first-ever 16-day international break from September 21 However, the State Football Association chairmen argued that the existing NFF Congress should be allowed to lead the process. Gombe State FA chairman and leader of the state FA delegation, Yakubu Sarma, said the Congress could stabilise Nigerian football. “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. “We don’t need to go outside the established framework to start bringing about a solution.” Meanwhile, former NFF presidents and general secretaries have jointly petitioned the FIFA and CAF governance assessment mission, calling for the immediate installation of a six-month normalisation committee to overhaul the country’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 proposed a structured transition beginning with stakeholder consultations, followed by local football council elections, State FA elections, an expanded NFF Congress and, ultimately, national NFF elections. They 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. The former officials argued that changing personnel alone would not be enough to address the problems in Nigerian football and urged FIFA and CAF to use the assessment mission to establish a binding and transparent governance framework for the future of the game. Abiodun Adewale Abiodun, who reports Sports for PUNCH, covers different tiers of the Nigerian football league, the national teams, as well as cricket, in the last six years

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