Nigeria Football Federation denies backing calls for Infantino to resign

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has rejected reports that it joined calls for Gianni Infantino to step down as FIFA president after the governing body abandoned plans to sell minority stakes in its major tournaments to private investors.

Infantino has faced growing criticism over the proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), an initiative that would have allowed private investors to buy shares in the World Cup and other leading FIFA competitions.

Under the plan, investors would also have been given a role in the running of those tournaments. Infantino was reported to have advanced the proposal without consulting most of FIFA’s member associations.

The FIFA president had also prepared to offer each member association up to $40m in an effort to win support before a 19 September deadline. The intention was for the scheme to proceed if enough backing could be secured.

The proposal was met with opposition from football authorities across several continents. UEFA publicly rejected the idea and warned that its members could boycott FIFA tournaments if the plan went ahead. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and CONCACAF also opposed the proposal.

A number of national football associations similarly criticised the plans, with some going further by calling for Infantino to resign.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) and South American football governing body CONMEBOL, however, publicly supported Infantino as pressure mounted on the FIFA president.

Former NFF president Amaju Pinnick also backed the proposed sale of stakes, saying it could bring financial benefits.

FIFA eventually abandoned the proposal following the widespread backlash, but speculation over Infantino’s position has continued.

Reports subsequently claimed that the NFF had become one of the national associations demanding his resignation. Those reports suggested Nigeria had taken that stance despite CAF’s public backing for Infantino.

The NFF has now issued a denial. In a statement posted on its official X account, the Nigerian governing body said the reports were false and stressed that it had never called for Infantino to leave his role.

Infantino remains FIFA president and has already confirmed that he intends to stand for re-election in 2027. His announcement comes despite the criticism directed at his leadership in recent weeks.

The Swiss administrator has been involved in several controversies, including issues connected to the recently concluded 2026 FIFA World Cup.

One of the most prominent disputes concerned the decision to overturn a red card issued to USMNT forward Folarin Balogun. That decision meant Balogun remained available for the United States’ Round of 16 match against Belgium.

The reversal attracted further attention after former United States president Donald Trump said he had spoken to Infantino about the matter. His claim raised questions about the circumstances surrounding the decision.

The next FIFA presidential election is due to be held in March 2027. FIFA’s member associations will then decide whether Infantino remains in charge of world football for the next four-year cycle or whether a new president takes over.