FIFA approves committee to run Nigeria football until May 2027

FIFA has approved the formation of a normalization committee to oversee the operations of the Nigeria Football Federation until fresh elections are held for its executive committee. The decision was made by the Bureau of the FIFA Council following a letter signed by FIFA Secretary-General Mattias Grafström, addressed to NFF President Dr Emmanuel Ikpeme. The committee's members will be jointly appointed by FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF), with the aim of completing their assigned tasks by May 31, 2027.

The NFF has announced that the committee will remain in office until it fulfills its tasks, but no later than the aforementioned date. Additionally, neither the committee members nor any potential future appointees will be eligible to participate in the upcoming NFF elections. Meanwhile, the NFF secretariat will continue to handle the daily affairs of Nigerian football until the committee is officially appointed.

This development comes after a leadership crisis at the NFF, triggered by the resignation of President Ibrahim Gusau, General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi, and other members of the executive committee on August 27, 2026. The resignations were prompted by criticism over Nigeria's failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the Super Falcons' inability to qualify for the 2027 Women's World Cup.