FIFA, CAF Yet to Take Decision on Nigeria Football Crisis

FIFA and CAF are still uncertain about the situation in Nigeria's football federation (NFF). They have not yet decided what action to take, as they continue to evaluate the circumstances. FIFA and CAF have, however, suspended the NFF's electoral process and will send a joint team to Nigeria to study the leadership and governance issues.

On September 7, 2026, FIFA wrote in a letter that both organizations are looking at the legal, governance, administrative, and electoral effects of the recent removal of Ibrahim Gusau's board from the NFF. Both FIFA and CAF said no more steps or decisions related to the NFF's electoral process should be made until they give more information.

This move puts the planned September 27 election on hold. FIFA said the suspension is to keep things the way they are while the assessment is done and stressed that it has not yet decided if the NFF's recent actions are valid or not. The crisis began on August 27 when NFF President Ibrahim Musa Gusau, General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi, and other NFF executives resigned en masse.

The National Sports Commission then chose Dr. Emmanuel Ikpeme to be the interim General Secretary and Dr. Ademola Olajire as the interim Deputy General Secretary. The NFF also paused all plans for the September 27 elective congress after the resignations. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ordered a major overhaul of Nigerian football on September 1, with the plan to fix issues with governance, administration, stakeholder representation, development programs, domestic competitions, and ethics.

FIFA then accepted the resignations of the NFF's top officials after a meeting between FIFA, CAF, the National Sports Commission, the NFF leadership, and the Nigerian government. At the meeting, everyone agreed to keep working on a long-term plan for large-scale reforms in Nigerian football, covering the short, medium, and long term and aimed at creating a stable new NFF administration.

Now, FIFA and CAF have officially asked that the electoral process stay paused while they conduct a more thorough study of the crisis. The assessment will look at the latest FIFA, CAF, and NFF rules. FIFA and CAF are also planning a joint mission to Abuja as soon as possible, where their officials will talk to important people in Nigerian football, including the NFF leadership, NFF members of the Congress, the electoral bodies, the government, and the National Sports Commission.

The NFF has been told to make Ikpeme the main person to talk to FIFA and CAF until something else happens and to inform everyone else about the pause.