Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) has approved the appointment of a normalisation committee to oversee the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) until May 2027, following the resignation of the federation’s leadership.
Gatekeepers News reports that in a letter to the NFF’s interim leadership on Thursday, FIFA said it would appoint members of the committee in conjunction with the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as soon as possible.
According to FIFA, the committee’s tenure will end once it completes its assigned responsibilities, but no later than May 31, 2027.
NFF is expected to conduct fresh elections before the expiration of the committee’s tenure. FIFA also stated that members of the committee would not be eligible to contest any positions in the forthcoming elections.
Pending the appointment of the committee members, Emmanuel Ikpeme, the NFF acting general secretary, will continue to manage the federation’s affairs.
The development follows the resignation of NFF President Ibrahim Gusau, General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi and other members of the federation’s executive leadership in August, which triggered uncertainty over the administration of Nigerian football.
Following the resignations, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu called for comprehensive reforms in Nigerian football, citing repeated failures by the country’s national teams to qualify for major regional, continental and international competitions.
FIFA officials visited Nigeria in September to assess the leadership crisis and examine the circumstances surrounding the changes in the federation. The organisation had also suspended the NFF electoral process pending consultations with relevant stakeholders.
The normalisation committee is expected to oversee the federation’s affairs and facilitate the process leading to fresh elections, with the aim of restoring an elected leadership before its mandate expires.
