The Authentic Nigeria Football and Allied Sports Supporters Club (ANFASSC) has written to President Bola Tinubu, appealing for a structured dialogue involving the Presidency, the National Sports Commission (NSC) and the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to address what it describes as a sustained decline in Nigerian football.
In the letter, copied to Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila and NSC Chairman Shehu Dikko, ANFASSC – recognised by the Confederation of African Football and endorsed by FIFA – stressed it was not seeking government interference in the NFF’s statutory independence under FIFA and CAF rules, but a partnership-based engagement to chart ‘a new, progressive course’ for the sport.
The club’s request is threefold: a transparent dialogue between the Presidency, the NSC, the NFF and recognised stakeholders; a shared push to build a ‘modern, well-governed and competitive football ecosystem’; and a timeframe from the President’s office for when such engagement could begin.
ANFASSC’s appeal traces Nigerian football’s slide from the peak of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations and FIFA U-17 World Cup double under the Amaju Pinnick-led NFF, which took office in October 2014, through to the current administration of Ibrahim Musa Gusau, in office since October 2022.
The Super Eagles missed the 2015 and 2017 AFCON tournaments, and the decline has deepened since. Nigeria’s U-23 side missed both the 2024 Paris Olympics and the 2023 U-23 Africa Cup of Nations, while the CHAN Eagles missed the 2022 edition of their tournament. The Flying Eagles were eliminated from 2027 U-20 AFCON qualification after a 4-1 defeat to Burkina Faso in August, and Nigeria’s U-17 side failed to qualify for the 2025 Africa U-17 Cup of Nations and, in turn, the FIFA U-17 World Cup.
Most significantly, the Super Eagles were eliminated by DR Congo on penalties in the November 2025 African play-off final, missing the 2026 FIFA World Cup, while the Super Falcons failed to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup after losing their play-off to South Africa.
ANFASSC noted this marks the first time both the Super Eagles and Super Falcons will be absent from their respective World Cups in the same cycle.
‘ANFASSC does not raise these concerns to assign blame but to responsibly highlight a pattern that calls for thoughtful, forward-looking intervention,’ the letter states.
The club said it envisions the requested engagement leading to renewed investment in grassroots and age-grade development, stronger coaching structures, improved player and official welfare, and a more transparent governance framework, and offered itself as a ‘constructive partner’ in the process.