World football governing body FIFA says it has not yet decided on the next steps regarding the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) following the resignation of its president, Ibrahim Gusau, General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi and other members of the Executive Committee.
In a letter sent to the NFF Deputy General Secretary, Emmanuel Ikpeme, on Monday, FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) said they were assessing the legal, governance, administrative and electoral implications of the developments before determining how to proceed.
Gusau led a wave of resignations from the NFF on August 27 amid growing criticism of the performances of Nigeria’s national and youth teams, particularly the failure of the senior men’s and women’s teams to qualify for their respective World Cups.
The resignations occurred less than a month before the scheduled September 27 NFF election, while the National Sports Commission moved to implement President Bola Tinubu’s directive for action over what he described as “repeated failures.”
On September 1, a Nigerian delegation led by NSC Chairman Shehu Dikko met with FIFA president Gianni Infantino and other senior officials at FIFA House in Zurich, Switzerland, to discuss the situation.
However, FIFA said it had yet to reach a decision despite receiving several communications from football stakeholders in Nigeria.
“We refer to the various communications recently received by FIFA and CAF concerning developments within the Nigeria Football Federation, including the notifications relating to the resignation of the NFF President, members of the Executive Committee and the General Secretary, as well as additional correspondence received from other football stakeholders in Nigeria,” FIFA’s Chief Member Associations Officer Elkhan Mammadov said in the letter.
“We also refer to the meeting held at the Home of FIFA in Zurich on 1 September between FIFA, CAF, the NFF administration and representatives from the Federal Government of Nigeria, during which the current situation of the NFF was discussed. FIFA and CAF are currently assessing the legal, governance, administrative and electoral implications arising from the current circumstances within the NFF.
“This assessment requires a careful review of the relevant facts, the applicable NFF regulatory framework and the positions communicated by the various stakeholders concerned. At this stage, FIFA and CAF have not reached any conclusions regarding the matters under review and no determination has been made with respect to any potential next steps”, the international football body’s statement read.
The uncertainty has also put plans for a possible normalisation committee on hold as FIFA and CAF continue to consider the appropriate course of action.
Although Ikpeme was endorsed by the NSC as acting General Secretary of the NFF, FIFA referred to him as the Deputy General Secretary in its correspondence and instructed him to remain the main point of contact between the NFF, FIFA and CAF until further notice.
FIFA also directed that the planned September 27 election be suspended. It stressed that the decision did not amount to an endorsement of any of the circumstances currently surrounding the NFF, but was intended to give FIFA and CAF time to complete their assessment and consult relevant stakeholders.
As part of the process, FIFA and CAF delegations are expected to travel to Abuja for meetings with the NFF, members of the NFF Congress, the federation’s electoral bodies and the National Sports Commission.
“The mission will allow FIFA and CAF to better understand the circumstances surrounding the recent developments within the NFF, the views of the various stakeholders and any issues that may require further consideration under the applicable FIFA, CAF and NFF regulatory framework.
“Following completion of this assessment process, FIFA and CAF will determine whether any recommendations or proposals should be submitted to the competent decision-making bodies within FIFA and CAF in accordance with their respective Statutes and regulations.
“Until such time, the outcome of the assessment remains open, and no assumptions should be made as to any action that FIFA and CAF may or may not take”, FIFA concluded.