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FIFA bars normalisation committee members from NFF election
FIFA has told Nigeria’s National Sports Commission (NSC) that members of the proposed normalisation committee for the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) will not be allowed to contest the federation’s next substantive board election.
The directive was issued during a meeting between senior NSC officials and FIFA representatives at the world governing body’s headquarters in Zurich, according to an exclusive report by OwnGoalNigeria.com.
The talks focused on proposed reforms to the NFF after members of the board led by Ibrahim Musa Gusau resigned, including the federation’s General Secretary, Dr Mohammed Sanusi.
FIFA approved the reform plans but set conditions that must be met before a permanent NFF board can be elected. The normalisation committee is expected to remain in place for between six months and one year.
Under the arrangements discussed, the NSC will nominate the chairperson and other members of the committee. Those nominees will then be submitted to FIFA for integrity checks before they are appointed.
FIFA will also be responsible for the welfare of the committee members throughout the period in which they serve.
However, the restriction on standing for election to the permanent NFF board has already affected the ambitions of some potential candidates. Some people who had been considering a bid for the NFF chairmanship have reportedly withdrawn their intentions after FIFA made its position clear.
The normalisation committee will therefore be responsible for overseeing the federation during the interim period, while the reforms approved by FIFA are put in place ahead of the election of substantive NFF board members.
The FIFA-backed process follows the departure of members of the previous NFF administration, including Ibrahim Musa Gusau and Dr Mohammed Sanusi, and is intended to establish the conditions for a new permanent leadership structure.
The NSC will now proceed with identifying candidates for the temporary committee, with every nominee subject to FIFA’s integrity assessment before the committee is constituted.
