EDITORIAL: FIFA’s enquiry and fixing Nigeria’s football

A joint delegation from FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) will visit Nigeria today to examine the leadership crisis within the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). The two-day mission, set to take place on September 14 and 15 in Abuja, comes after the resignations of NFF President Ibrahim Musa Gusau and General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi, along with other members of the federation’s Executive Committee.

FIFA clarified that the delegation's purpose is to conduct a "joint assessment mission" to determine the facts surrounding the leadership changes and evaluate their legal, governance, administrative, and electoral implications. The world football governing bodies have emphasized that they have not reached any conclusions about the issues under review and that no decisions have been made regarding potential next steps.

The delegation plans to meet with representatives from the NFF administration, electoral bodies, the Federal Government, and the National Sports Commission (NSC). Following the arrival of the FIFA and CAF delegation, the NFF has been ordered by FIFA's Chief Member Associations Officer, Elkhan Mammadov, to suspend its ongoing electoral process and refrain from taking any further actions until the assessment is completed.

The electoral congress, originally planned for September 27 in Lafia, Nasarawa State, has been put on hold. FIFA and CAF's suspension of the electoral process aims to maintain the status quo while they engage with stakeholders and review relevant regulations and positions presented by various parties. The leadership crisis unfolded following the resignations of Gusau and Sanusi on August 27, with Emmanuel Ikpeme serving as the acting NFF secretariat head.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed the National Sports Commission Chairman, Shehu Dikko, to collaborate with the NFF secretariat and other stakeholders to address governance, administration, accountability, development pathways, and domestic competitions. The international intervention is a response to Nigeria's challenging football landscape, including the Super Eagles' unsuccessful bid for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the Super Falcons' failure to qualify for the 2027 Women’s World Cup.

FIFA and CAF anticipate that the outcome of their assessment may result in the submission of recommendations or proposals to their respective decision-making bodies.