FIFA YET TO CONFIRM VISIT TO NIGERIA, NFF
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World football governing body FIFA has said it is yet to make a decision on the future of the Nigeria Football Federation following the resignation of its President, Ibrahim Gusau, General Secretary, Mohammed Sanusi, and other members of the Executive Committee.
In a letter addressed to the NFF Deputy General Secretary, Emmanuel Ikpeme, on Monday, FIFA and the Confederation of African Football said they were still assessing the legal, governance, administrative and electoral implications of the developments within the federation before determining the next course of action.
Gusau led a wave of resignations from the NFF on Thursday, August 27, amid growing concerns 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 mass resignations occurred just weeks before the scheduled September 27 NFF election, with the National Sports Commission subsequently intervening to implement President Bola Tinubu’s directive to address what he described as the federation’s “repeated failures.”
A Nigerian delegation led by the NSC Chairman, Shehu Dikko, later met with FIFA President Gianni Infantino and other senior officials at the FIFA House in Zurich, Switzerland, on September 1.
In its letter, FIFA said it had yet to reach a conclusion despite receiving several communications from stakeholders in Nigeria.
FIFA’s Chief Member Associations Officer, Elkhan Mammadov, said the body had received various communications concerning the resignations of the NFF president, members of the Executive Committee and the General Secretary, as well as other submissions from football stakeholders in Nigeria.
He added that FIFA and CAF were reviewing the legal, governance, administrative and electoral implications of the situation.
According to FIFA, the assessment involves a detailed review of the relevant facts, the applicable NFF regulatory framework and the positions presented by the various stakeholders.
The organisation stressed that no decision had been taken regarding the possible next steps.
The development has effectively placed the proposed constitution of a normalisation committee on hold as FIFA and CAF continue to determine the most appropriate way forward.
Although Ikpeme was endorsed by the NSC as the acting General Secretary of the NFF, FIFA referred to him as the Deputy General Secretary in its correspondence and directed him to remain the primary point of contact between the NFF, FIFA and CAF until further notice.
FIFA also ordered the suspension of the planned September 27 NFF elections, explaining that the decision was necessary to give FIFA and CAF sufficient time to complete their assessment and consult the relevant stakeholders.
The football governing bodies further announced plans to send delegations to Abuja to meet with the NFF, members of the NFF Congress, the federation’s electoral bodies and the National Sports Commission.
FIFA said the visit would enable both organisations to gain a clearer understanding of the circumstances surrounding the recent developments, hear the views of stakeholders and identify issues requiring further consideration under the applicable FIFA, CAF and NFF regulations.
It added that after completing the assessment, FIFA and CAF would determine whether recommendations or proposals should be presented to the appropriate decision-making bodies within the two organisations.
FIFA, however, emphasised that the outcome of the assessment remains open and cautioned against making assumptions about what action it or CAF may ultimately take.
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