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FIFA said it was backing the comprehensive reform roadmap for Nigerian football.
World football governing body FIFA has accepted the resignation of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) President Ibrahim Musa Gusau and other principal officers of the federation.
FIFA said it was backing the comprehensive reform roadmap for Nigerian football.
This was disclosed on Tuesday by the NFF’s Interim Deputy General Secretary, Dr Ademola Olajire, following a high-level meeting involving FIFA, the Confederation of African Football (CAF), the National Sports Commission (NSC) and the NFF administration at FIFA House in Zurich, Switzerland.
FIFA, according to Olajire, also agreed to continue engaging the Nigerian Government, the NFF and CAF to fine-tune a framework for reforms covering the short, medium and long-term development of the country’s football administration.
The meeting resolved that the reform process should lead to the emergence of an inclusive and properly structured NFF, supported by a peaceful and stable operating environment capable of delivering improved results both on and off the pitch.
“The engagements and interactions will continue to fine-tune a roadmap that will ensure the delivery of the expected reforms both in the short, medium and long term, and to ensure that an inclusive new NFF emerges going forward, with the enabling environment, peaceful and stable to be in position to deliver success both on and off the pitch for the benefit and growth of Nigeria Football,” Olajire said.
Following Gusau’s resignation last week, alongside other members of the NFF Executive Committee, the NFF subsequently put in place an interim administrative arrangement, with Dr Emmanuel Ikpeme serving as Acting General Secretary, while Olajire operates as Interim Deputy General Secretary.
The Zurich meeting was attended by a high-powered Nigerian delegation led by NSC Chairman Mallam Shehu Dikko. The delegation included NSC Director-General Hon. Bukola Olopade, former NFF President and ex-FIFA Council member Amaju Pinnick, who attended in his official capacity as Special Adviser to the CAF President and Deputy Chairman of the FIFA Men’s National Teams’ Competitions Committee, as well as Ikpeme and NFF Director of Legal Services Okey Obi.
CAF’s delegation included its second Vice-President Kurt-Okraku, while FIFA was represented by its Director of Member Associations for Africa, Gelson Fernandes.
