World football governing body, FIFA, is set to visit Nigeria to assess the proposed restructuring of the country’s football administration before giving its final approval to the process.
The development followed a meeting between FIFA President Gianni Infantino and a Nigerian delegation led by National Sports Commission (NSC) Chairman Shehu Dikko at the FIFA headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland.
The meeting focused on the crisis in the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and the proposed roadmap to reposition Nigerian football following the resignation of the Ibrahim Musa Gusau-led board.
Gusau, NFF General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi and other members of the Executive Committee resigned from their positions last week amid growing criticism of the state of Nigerian football.
Following the resignations, the Nigerian government moved to begin a major restructuring of the football administration.
The National Sports Commission proposed the establishment of a Normalisation Committee to oversee the transition, implement reforms and prepare the ground for a new NFF leadership.
However, FIFA has not simply given an immediate approval to the proposed arrangement.
Instead, the football governing body wants to continue discussions with Nigerian authorities and send a delegation to the country to examine the situation and ensure that the proposed restructuring complies with FIFA rules and regulations.
The FIFA visit is therefore expected to be an important step before the international body gives its final backing to the restructuring process.
At the Zurich meeting, FIFA, the Confederation of African Football (CAF), the NSC and the NFF administration discussed the proposed reform roadmap.
The parties agreed to continue their engagements and fine-tune a plan covering short, medium and long-term reforms aimed at creating a more inclusive, stable and credible football administration in Nigeria.
The process is expected to go beyond simply replacing the resigned NFF officials. The aim is to address deeper problems in the administration of Nigerian football and establish a new structure capable of improving the game both on and off the pitch.
FIFA is also expected to have a major say in the composition of any Normalisation Committee that may eventually be approved.
Potential members of the committee will have to meet FIFA’s integrity and eligibility requirements before being cleared to serve.
The proposed committee is expected to operate temporarily while the reforms are carried out and preparations are made for a fresh NFF election.
There have been different projections about how long the committee could remain in place, with estimates ranging from a few months to as long as one year, depending on the scope and progress of the reforms.
The Nigerian delegation’s meeting with Infantino is being seen as an important step because FIFA has accepted the resignations of the former NFF officials and is now engaging with Nigerian football authorities on the way forward.
With FIFA preparing to visit Nigeria, attention will now shift to what the delegation finds and whether the proposed restructuring will meet the conditions required for FIFA’s final approval.
The outcome of the visit could determine the shape of the Normalisation Committee, the scope of the proposed reforms and the pathway to a new NFF leadership.