NFF Crisis Deepens As FA Chairmen Clash With Players, Coaches, Referees Over Normalisation

The fault lines over the proposed reform of Nigerian football administration widened on Monday as state Football Association (FA) chairmen rejected a normalisation committee and insisted that the leadership vacuum in the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) should be resolved from within the existing football structures. The development emerged as FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) continued consultations with Nigerian football stakeholders in separate batches in Abuja, with the different interest groups presenting sharply contrasting positions on how the reform process should be conducted. While representatives of professional players, coaches and referees backed the reform pathway being championed by the National Sports Commission (NSC), the state FA chairmen, who command the overwhelming majority of the NFF Congress and its voting strength, opposed the proposed use of an external normalisation committee. The division could further complicate efforts by FIFA and CAF to resolve the crisis.

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