*CAF, FIFA to appoint the committee members to run NFF until May 31 next year
Duro Ikhazuagbe
Federation of International Football Association (FIFA), has approved the appointments of a Normalisation Committee to run the affairs of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) until fresh elections are conducted into the executive committee of the federation.
The Bureau of the FIFA Council at its meeting in Zurich, Switzerland penultimate Thursday, approved the appointment of a Normalisation Committee for the NFF whose leadership resigned enmass last August.
According to a letter signed by FIFA Secretary General, Mattias Grafström and addressed to the Ag. General Secretary of the NFF, Dr Emmanuel Ikpeme MON, “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 letter also informed that “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.”
Specifically, the FIFA letter warned that nine of the members of the normalisation committee will be eligible for the positions to be filled during the upcoming NFF elections under any circumstances.
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.
The approval of a Normalisation Committee for the NFF is a major shift towards resolving the crisis that engulfed Nigerian football last August when President Ibrahim Gusau, General Secretary, Mohammed Sanusi and the other 11 members of the board had to resign en-mass.
The resignation of the board followed spate of failures witnessed by Nigeria’s national teams across the spectrum of the game. The inabilities of the Super Falcons to qualify for next year’s Women’s World Cup in Brazil was the immediate call for the resignation of the Gusau-led board. Super Eagles had earlier missed out of the 2026 World Cup hosted by USA, Canada and Mexico. The team also missed the 2022 edition hosted by Qatar.
However, even with the approval of a Normalisation Committee, Nigeria’s football stakeholders are now awaiting those to be appointed to run the federation until May 31, 2027 when fresh elections must have be held for new gladiators in the corridors of football power.