FIFA Takes Over NFF Administration After Gusau, Sanusi, Others Resign

According to the letter, the committee’s members will be appointed jointly by FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

The Bureau of the FIFA Council has approved the appointment of a normalisation committee to manage the affairs of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) pending fresh elections into its executive committee.

The NFF disclosed this in a statement issued by its Communications Department on Thursday, citing a letter signed by FIFA Secretary-General Mattias Grafström and addressed to Dr Emmanuel Ikpeme.

According to the letter, the committee’s members will be appointed jointly by FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

“The normalisation committee shall consist of a suitable number of members, who will be appointed jointly by FIFA and CAF as soon as possible,” the letter stated.

FIFA said the committee would remain in office until it completed its assigned tasks, with May 31, 2027, set as the latest date for the end of its tenure.

“The period during which the normalisation committee shall perform its functions shall expire as soon as it has fulfilled all of its tasks, but by no later than 31 May 2027,” the letter added

The world football governing body also ruled that members of the committee would not be eligible to contest any positions in the forthcoming NFF elections.

“None of the members of the normalisation committee will be eligible for the positions to be filled during the upcoming NFF elections under any circumstances,” FIFA stated.

Until the committee is appointed, the NFF secretariat will continue to handle the federation’s day-to-day administration and the running of Nigerian football.

The development follows a leadership crisis at the NFF, which saw President Ibrahim Gusau, General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi and other members of the federation’s Executive Committee resign on August 27, 2026.

The resignations came amid mounting criticism over Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the Super Falcons’ failure to qualify for the 2027 Women’s World Cup.

The mass resignations created a leadership vacuum and disrupted preparations for the NFF elections scheduled for September 27, 2026.