FIFA approves committee to oversee Nigeria football
FIFA has approved the appointment of a Normalisation Committee to manage the affairs of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) pending fresh elections to its Executive Committee.
The NFF confirmed the decision in a statement, saying the Bureau of the FIFA Council approved the committee’s appointment on Thursday in a letter signed by its Secretary-General Mattias Grafström and addressed to Dr Emmanuel Ikpeme.
The letter read: “The normalisation committee shall consist of a suitable number of members, who will be appointed jointly by FIFA and CAF as soon as possible.
“The period during which the normalisation committee shall perform its functions shall expire as soon as it has fulfilled all of its tasks, but by no later than 31 May 2027.
“None of the members of the normalisation committee will be eligible for the positions to be filled during the upcoming NFF elections under any circumstances.”
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In the meantime, the Secretariat of the NFF will continue with the day-to-day running of the organisation and administration of the country’s football pending the appointment of the Normalisation Committee.
This follows the mass resignation of the NFF board following the Super Falcons’ failure to qualify for the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The Ibrahim Gusau-led board resigned 34 days to the end of their tenure, and the NSC approved the appointment of Emmanuel Ikpeme as interim General Secretary and Ademola Olajire as interim Deputy General Secretary, while the planned NFF elective congress was suspended pending reforms.
Following the resignation of the Gusau-led board, President Bola Tinubu ordered a comprehensive reform of Nigerian football, directing the NSC to liaise with FIFA and CAF for the process.
