The crisis rocking the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, has taken a new turn, with FIFA set to visit Nigeria before deciding on the proposed normalisation committee for the country’s football governing body.
The development followed a meeting between a Nigerian delegation led by the Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Mallam Shehu Dikko, and FIFA President Gianni Infantino at the world football governing body’s headquarters in Zurich on Tuesday.
The delegation had travelled to Switzerland to seek FIFA’s ratification of plans for a normalisation committee to oversee reforms within the NFF.
The meeting was described as fruitful, but FIFA reportedly stopped short of giving immediate approval to the proposed committee.
Instead, the global football governing body is expected to send a delegation to Nigeria to assess the situation before the process moves forward.
The development followed the mass resignation of the Ibrahim Musa Gusau-led NFF Board after mounting public pressure.
Following the resignations, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu directed that comprehensive reforms be undertaken in Nigerian football.
The President’s directive underscored the severity of the situation, describing the decline in the structure and performance of Nigerian football as a national emergency.
In response, the National Sports Commission, which supervises the activities of the NFF, proposed establishing a normalisation committee.
The committee is expected to oversee the affairs of the federation temporarily and organise a fresh election for a new NFF board.
FIFA is expected to play a major role in determining who eventually serves on the proposed normalisation committee.
Sources said the individuals selected would be subjected to mandatory integrity and eligibility checks, similar to the requirements for executive committee members of FIFA-affiliated associations.
The duration of the committee also remains uncertain.
While earlier reports suggested that it could operate for about three months, sources indicated that the tenure could extend from six months to one year.
The longer timeframe would allow the National Sports Commission to undertake the proposed reforms more thoroughly before a new NFF leadership is elected.
The NSC and FIFA are reportedly continuing discussions on the selection process following Tuesday’s meeting in Zurich.
Among the names being considered to head the committee is AbdulHakeem Uthman Mustapha, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN.
Mustapha is reportedly favoured by a majority of power brokers within the Presidency.
His profile, as published by Nigerian sports platform Sports Village Square, indicates that he is a member of FIFA’s Anti-Racism and Anti-Discrimination Committee.
That position gives him direct exposure to FIFA and its administrative framework.
The proposed normalisation committee is expected to fill the leadership vacuum created by the resignation of the Gusau-led board while the broader reform process is carried out.
FIFA’s forthcoming visit to Nigeria is therefore expected to be an important step in determining the structure, membership and mandate of the committee.
