FIFA president Gianni Infantino has called for stronger structures and clearer development pathways in Nigerian football as world football’s governing body begins fresh engagements with the country’s sports authorities and football stakeholders.
Infantino made the call after meeting a Nigerian delegation led by National Sports Commission chairman Shehu Dikko at the FIFA House in Zurich, Switzerland, on Tuesday.
The meeting comes at a significant moment for Nigerian football, with the country’s football administration entering a reform process following the mass resignation of the Nigeria Football Federation executive committee.
The NFF and NSC delegation with the FIFA President Gianni Infantino. Photocredit: NFF/X
Infantino said the discussions focused on governance, institutional issues and development, while stressing the need to create more opportunities for young Nigerians.
“I was pleased to sit down with a delegation from Nigeria, led by National Sports Commission (NSC) Chairman Shehu Dikko, at the Home of FIFA in Zürich to hold important discussions and align on our vision for football in the country,” Infantino said.
“We had a detailed talk on institutional, governance and developmental topics, as well as our ongoing collaborations. While stressing the need to create stronger structures and pathways to provide even more opportunities for the youth, we explored areas where FIFA can further support the growth of our beautiful game in this football-passionate country.”
The engagement follows President Bola Tinubu’s call for action to address what he described as “repeated failures” in Nigerian football and the subsequent resignation of the NFF’s principal officers.
The NFF said FIFA accepted the resignations and pledged to continue working with the Nigerian government, the NFF administration and the Confederation of African Football on a roadmap for comprehensive reforms.
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Dikko was accompanied in Zurich by NSC Director-General Bukola Olopade, acting NFF general secretary Emmanuel Ikpeme and NFF Director of Legal Services Okey Obi.
According to the NFF, further engagements will be held to finetune short-, medium- and long term reforms aimed at producing an inclusive new NFF administration and creating a peaceful and stable environment for the development of Nigerian football.
Dikko has also assured stakeholders that the process will be thorough and conducted in line with the relevant rules, regulations and statutes.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has called for stronger structures and development pathways in Nigerian football as FIFA engages the NSC and NFF on reforms.
The reform drive comes amid wider concerns over the state of Nigerian football, including the performances of the national and youth teams and the failure of the senior men’s and women’s teams to qualify for their respective World Cups.
Governance and financial management within the NFF have also attracted scrutiny, increasing calls for structural changes.
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An interim administration is currently overseeing the federation after NFF president Ibrahim Gusau, general secretary Mohammed Sanusi and the other 11 members of the executive committee resigned.
Ikpeme, who previously served as deputy general secretary, was appointed interim general secretary, while former media and communications director Ademola Olajire became interim deputy general secretary.
