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FIFA President Gianni Infantino has pledged the world football governing body’s support for Nigeria’s efforts to strengthen football development following a high-level Nigerian delegation’s visit to FIFA House in Zurich, Switzerland.
Infantino made the commitment after meeting a combined delegation of the National Sports Commission (NSC) and Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), led by NSC Chairman Shehu Dikko, on Tuesday.
In a post on FIFA’s official X handle, Infantino said the meeting provided an opportunity to discuss the future of football in Nigeria and identify areas for closer collaboration.
“I was pleased to sit down with a delegation from Nigeria led by (the) National Sports Commission Chairman, Shehu Dikko at the Home of FIFA in Zurich to hold important discussions and align on our vision for football in the country,” he wrote.
Infantino said discussions covered institutional, governance and developmental issues, as well as existing areas of collaboration between FIFA and Nigeria.
“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,” he added.
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The FIFA president also wished Nigeria’s junior women’s teams, the Falconets and Flamingos, success as they prepare for their respective FIFA World Cups.
“I also wished luck to the (Falconets and Flamingos) for the upcoming FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup and the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup and thanked the entire team for their time, ideas and positive intent to work together in taking Nigerian football forward,” Infantino said.
His comments came shortly after the NFF dismissed as fake a purported FIFA letter claiming that the world body had demanded clarification over the mass resignation of former NFF President Ibrahim Gusau and members of the federation’s Executive Committee.
The purported letter had suggested that FIFA wanted to establish whether the resignations were voluntary or had been influenced by the Nigerian government.
Infantino’s public acknowledgement of the meeting and emphasis on continued collaboration effectively underlined FIFA’s engagement with the Nigerian authorities as the country begins a new phase of football administration and development.
