World football governing body FIFA says it has yet to reach a decision on the next steps for the Nigeria Football Federation following the resignation of NFF President Ibrahim Gusau, General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi and several members of the Executive Committee.
In a letter addressed to NFF Deputy General Secretary Emmanuel Ikpeme on Monday, FIFA and the Confederation of African Football said they were assessing the legal, governance, administrative and electoral implications of the developments within the federation.
Gusau led the mass resignations on August 27 amid growing concerns over the performances of Nigeria’s national teams, including the failure of the senior men’s and women’s teams to qualify for their respective World Cups.
The resignations came ahead of the NFF election scheduled for September 27, with the National Sports Commission (NSC) stepping in following President Bola Tinubu’s call for action over what he described as repeated failures.
FIFA said it had received several communications from stakeholders and had discussed the situation with Nigerian officials during a meeting at the FIFA House in Zurich on September 1.
“We refer to the various communications recently received by FIFA and CAF concerning developments within the Nigeria Football Federation,” FIFA’s Chief Member Associations Officer, Elkhan Mammadov, said in the letter.
FIFA said no conclusion had been reached, stressing that it was reviewing the relevant facts, NFF regulations and positions of the various stakeholders before deciding on the way forward.
The development has put plans for a normalisation committee on hold, while FIFA and CAF continue their assessment.
Although Ikpeme was endorsed by the NSC as acting General Secretary, FIFA addressed him as Deputy General Secretary and directed him to remain the primary point of contact between the NFF, FIFA and CAF until further notice.
FIFA also ordered the suspension of the September 27 NFF election, saying the decision was necessary to allow the governing bodies to complete their assessment and consult relevant stakeholders.
As part of the process, FIFA and CAF are expected to send delegations to Abuja to meet with the NFF, members of the NFF Congress, the federation’s electoral bodies and the National Sports Commission.
The organisations said the visit would help them understand the circumstances surrounding the resignations and determine whether further action or recommendations should be made under FIFA, CAF and NFF regulations.
FIFA stressed that no assumptions should be made about the outcome, noting that the matter remains open pending the completion of its assessment.
