FIFA URGED TO REVIEW NSC’S ROLE IN NIGERIAN FOOTBALL GOVERNANCE AMID CONCERNS OVER NFF AUTONOMY

By Sunday Agunbiade (Mr VAR)

Nigerian football stakeholders have been urged to call on the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) to examine the evolving relationship between the National Sports Commission (NSC) and the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), with particular attention to the autonomy of football administration and compliance with FIFA’s statutes.

The concern is not whether the Federal Government should support football development. Government funding, infrastructure, security, youth development and policy coordination are important to the growth of the game. Rather, the fundamental question is whether government involvement is being exercised in a manner that preserves the NFF’s institutional independence and respects the internationally recognised framework for football governance.

The recent developments surrounding the NFF leadership have made this question especially important.

Following the resignation of former NFF President Ibrahim Musa Gusau, General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi and members of the federation’s executive board in August 2026, the Federal Government announced plans for comprehensive reforms of Nigerian football.

President Bola Tinubu directed NSC Chairman Mallam Shehu Dikko to work with the NFF Secretariat and football stakeholders to maintain essential administrative functions and facilitate the reform process.

Subsequent media reports quoted Dikko as saying that FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) had been engaged over the proposed reforms and that an independent normalisation committee was being considered.

These developments call for transparency and clarity. Nigerians deserve to understand the precise mandate of the NSC in the transition, the authority retained by the NFF under the applicable rules, and the safeguards in place to ensure that any interim arrangements comply with FIFA and CAF requirements.

WHAT FIFA’S STATUTES SAY ABOUT INDEPENDENCE

FIFA’s Statutes establish an important principle concerning the independence of member associations.
Article 14(1)(i) of the FIFA Statutes requires member associations to manage their affairs independently and ensure that their affairs are not influenced by third parties, in accordance with Article 19.
Article 19(1) of the FIFA Statutes states:

“Each member association shall manage its affairs independently and without undue influence from third parties.”

Article 19 further provides that the bodies of a member association must be elected or appointed in accordance with procedures that guarantee their independence. It also addresses FIFA’s recognition of bodies and decisions that do not comply with those requirements.

These provisions make institutional independence a central issue in the current Nigerian football situation.
However, the existence of government involvement does not, by itself, establish a violation of FIFA regulations.

The relevant questions include the nature of the involvement, the legal authority under which it occurs, whether it constitutes undue influence, and whether any interim governance arrangements have been approved through the appropriate FIFA and CAF procedures.

It is therefore appropriate for FIFA to clarify the applicable boundaries and assess the current arrangements against its governing statutes.

NSC AND NFF: WHERE SHOULD THE LINE BE DRAWN?

The NSC has a legitimate role in national sports policy, public-sector coordination and the promotion of sporting development. The NFF, as Nigeria’s FIFA-recognised football association, has a distinct responsibility for the governance and administration of football under the applicable football statutes.

The distinction becomes particularly important when government officials participate in decisions concerning the federation’s leadership, its electoral arrangements, the management of competitions or the appointment of interim football administrators.

Public statements and reports concerning the current reform process have raised questions about how these responsibilities are being divided.

FIFA should therefore clarify whether the present arrangements provide sufficient institutional separation between government policy functions and the independent administration of football.

The objective should not be to frustrate reform or prevent government support. It should be to ensure that reform strengthens football institutions rather than creating uncertainty about who has the authority to make football decisions.

THE NPFL EXPERIENCE: LESSONS FROM GBENGA ELEGBELEYE’S TENURE

The experience of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) provides a useful basis for examining the relationship between football administration and government involvement.

Honourable Gbenga Elegbeleye was appointed chairman of the NPFL board in July 2023 after previously heading the Interim Management Committee.

The NPFL’s official announcement noted that the committee had successfully organised the preceding league season and the Super Six competition, earning praise from the NFF and stakeholders.

His tenure offers an opportunity to examine how league administration can operate through recognised football structures while pursuing improvements in competition organisation, commercial development, visibility and stakeholder confidence.

The argument is not that every development recorded during his tenure should be attributed to one individual, nor that the subsequent administration should be judged without considering the wider circumstances.

Rather, it is that football governance should be assessed through verifiable performance indicators, including competition integrity, commercial revenues, sponsorship, broadcast visibility, club welfare, infrastructure and the quality of administration.

Mallam Shehu Dikko previously headed the League Management Company (LMC), which was involved in the administration of the domestic league before the current NPFL structure.

Comparisons between the periods under the LMC and the NPFL board led by Elegbeleye should therefore be based on documented evidence, the different institutional arrangements and measurable outcomes.
Such a comparison could help establish which governance models have delivered the greatest benefits to Nigerian football.

The larger question is whether the experience and structures developed within the football system are now being strengthened through transparent reform or whether the concentration of football-related responsibilities around government officials risks weakening the distinction between public sports administration and independent football governance.

That question deserves an objective assessment rather than assumptions about the motives of any individual.

REFORM MUST NOT BECOME A SUBSTITUTE FOR INDEPENDENT GOVERNANCE

Nigeria’s football crisis presents an opportunity to correct long-standing weaknesses in administration, accountability, stakeholder representation and development planning.

Nevertheless, reforms must be implemented through procedures consistent with FIFA’s rules. Where the governing circumstances require a normalisation committee or another interim arrangement, FIFA’s applicable procedures should determine the mandate, composition, duration and reporting responsibilities of that arrangement.

FIFA should also establish whether the views of the NFF Congress, state football associations, leagues, clubs, players, referees, coaches and other recognised stakeholders are adequately represented in the reform process.

A credible process must be transparent, time-bound and directed towards restoring a stable, properly constituted and independently governed football federation.

The current debate should not be interpreted as opposition to the Federal Government or to Shehu Dikko personally. It is a call for institutional clarity and a governance framework that protects Nigerian football from avoidable disputes, uncertainty and potential regulatory complications.

A FORMAL CALL TO FIFA

FIFA is respectfully urged to: Review the current governance arrangements involving the NSC, the NFF Secretariat and other actors involved in the ongoing reform process.

Clarify the scope of government involvement permitted under FIFA’s statutes, particularly in relation to NFF leadership, electoral procedures and football administration.

Confirm the applicable approval and oversight procedures for any proposed normalisation committee or interim governing arrangement.

Ensure broad stakeholder consultation so that Nigerian football’s recognised institutions and constituencies have a meaningful voice in the reform process.

Encourage transparent performance assessments of the NFF, the NPFL and other football structures using verifiable sporting, financial and administrative indicators.

Support a credible transition to stable, independent governance, with clearly defined responsibilities and an appropriate timetable consistent with FIFA and CAF requirements.

The purpose of this appeal is not to prejudge the legality of any individual’s actions or to suggest that a breach of FIFA regulations has already been established. It is to request that the competent football authorities examine the available facts and determine whether the current arrangements fully comply with the applicable rules.

CONCLUSION: PROTECT THE INSTITUTIONS, PROTECT THE GAME

Nigerian football is too important to millions of supporters to be left in prolonged institutional uncertainty.
Government support remains valuable, but support must operate alongside the independence of the football association.

Equally, the NFF must demonstrate accountability, transparency and the capacity to deliver meaningful improvements in the domestic league, grassroots football and the national teams.

The experience of the NPFL under different administrative structures, including the period led by Honourable Gbenga Elegbeleye, deserves careful evaluation as part of that wider discussion.

FIFA’s intervention, where warranted by its rules and evidence, should help establish clear boundaries, restore confidence and ensure that reforms are undertaken through legitimate football-governance procedures.

Ultimately, the issue is not about personalities or political interests. It is about ensuring that Nigerian football is administered transparently, competently and in accordance with the principles governing the international game.

The appeal to FIFA is simple: examine the facts, clarify the rules and help safeguard the independence and future of Nigerian football.

Sunday Agunbiade (Mr VAR) humbly writing to FIFA for proper investigation