Follow Us on Google
There comes a moment in the life of every institution when explanations become excuses, apologies lose their meaning and resignation becomes the only honourable response. For Nigerian football, that moment has arrived.
That is why the resignation of the leadership of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), including its president, Ibrahim Musa Gusau, the general secretary and members of the executive committee, should be seen not as a tragedy but as an opportunity. It is a chance to reset Nigerian football and begin the difficult task of rebuilding a system that has lost the confidence of millions of Nigerians.
This is not about making scapegoats of individuals. It is about accountability. Leadership carries responsibility and when an institution repeatedly fails to meet its obligations, those at the helm cannot forever shift the blame to coaches, players, referees or circumstances.
Nigeria is a football nation blessed with extraordinary talent, passionate supporters and an enviable history. The country has produced continental champions, Olympic gold medallists and some of the finest footballers Africa has ever seen. The Super Eagles and Super Falcons have, at various times, been sources of national pride and international admiration. Yet, that enormous talent has increasingly been undermined by administrative shortcomings, poor planning, disappointing results and a succession of setbacks that have left Nigerians wondering what has gone fundamentally wrong with their football.
The latest crisis was the Super Falcons’ failure to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup — the first time Nigeria will miss the tournament since its inauguration in 1991. The Falcons, Africa’s most successful women’s national team and 10-time African champions, were eliminated by Cameroon in the quarter-finals of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations and subsequently lost 2-1 to South Africa in the World Cup qualification play-off.
That was the proverbial last straw that broke the camel’s back. The Falcons’ collapse came on the heels of the Super Eagles’ failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, meaning Nigeria’s senior men’s team has now missed two consecutive editions of the global tournament. The country’s youth teams have also suffered setbacks, with the Golden Eaglets missing the 2026 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations and the Flying Eagles losing their decisive WAFU-B U-20 final after a disappointing campaign for qualification for the 2027 U-20 AFCON.
For a country that regards football almost as a national religion, this is not a string of ordinary sporting disappointments. It is a systemic crisis.
If the same leadership responsible for administering Nigerian football appoints a committee to investigate failures that occurred under its watch, where does institutional accountability begin and end? The resignation of the NFF leadership, therefore, should be regarded as the beginning of the process of rescuing Nigerian football. The NFF was never merely an observer of these failures. It was responsible for the strategic direction of Nigerian football. It oversaw the national teams, appointed and supervised technical structures, administered competitions, managed finances and was entrusted with the development and promotion of the game. It, therefore, cannot claim to be detached from the consequences of the system it administered.
The public anger was not confined to ordinary football fans. Former internationals, coaches and other stakeholders have increasingly demanded fundamental changes in the way Nigerian football is administered. That is why the current leadership’s resignation provides an opportunity for a genuine reset.
Nigerian football does not need another cosmetic change. It does not need one set of administrators to leave only for another group of politicians, businessmen and football power brokers to take their place. What Nigeria needs is a professional, transparent and accountable football administration driven by competence rather than patronage. The new system must place merit, technical knowledge, financial accountability, youth development, grassroots football, sports science, commercial development and long-term planning at the centre of football governance.
Nigeria cannot continue to produce world-class footballers while operating a football administration that repeatedly fails to convert talent into sustainable success. The time has come for former football internationals to play a central role in the leadership and management of the NFF. Yes, there is something fundamentally wrong with a football system in which people who understand the game from the pitch are routinely relegated to the margins of its administration, while those with little or no football experience dominate decision-making.
Nigeria has produced generations of exceptional footballers who wore the national colours with distinction, conquered Africa, won Olympic gold and made their mark in some of the biggest leagues in the world. Yet, when decisions are made about how Nigerian football should be developed, many of these former internationals are treated more as ceremonial ambassadors than as stakeholders with valuable institutional knowledge. That must change.
Other News
One is not making a call to hand the NFF to anybody simply because he or she once played football. Playing football alone does not qualify anyone to manage a multibillion-naira institution. What Nigeria needs is a leadership philosophy that combines football experience with administrative competence, financial discipline, legal knowledge, modern management skills and an understanding of global football economy. This is why the intervention by former Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong, calling for former players to take up leadership positions within the NFF, is important. The idea deserves serious consideration.
Football should not be administered without football people. Politicians and career administrators may have roles to play but the central business of football must be shaped by people who understand the game and are committed to its development. It should not be led by individuals whose principal ambition is to secure political influence, appointments or positions within CAF and FIFA.
The era when former internationals are invited merely to cut ribbons, receive awards or serve as ambassadors must end. Names such as Segun Odegbami, Daniel Amokachi, Sunday Oliseh, Austin Okocha, Joseph Yobo, Mercy Akide, Florence Omagbemi, Jonathan Akpoborie, Sylvanus Okpala, Garba Lawal and other accomplished former internationals represent a reservoir of football knowledge and experience that Nigeria cannot afford to waste. They should not be appointed simply because they are famous. Their involvement must be based on competence, credibility, integrity and suitability for specific responsibilities.
Nigeria does not need to reinvent football governance. Other football nations have demonstrated that former players can successfully transition from the pitch into administration when their football experience is combined with institutional knowledge and professional management. Michel Platini is one example. The former France captain and three-time Ballon d’Or winner moved from playing into football administration, serving as vice-president of the French Football Federation before becoming UEFA president in 2007. His career demonstrated that football experience can be an important asset in the administration of the game when supported by institutional and managerial competence.
Germany’s Franz Beckenbauer offers another instructive example. The football legend became vice-president of Bayern Munich in 1991 and later served as club president from 1994 to 2009. He also played a prominent role in Germany’s successful hosting of the 2006 FIFA World Cup as chairman of the organising committee. The lesson is not that every former footballer will make a good administrator. The lesson is that football knowledge, credibility and leadership experience can be powerful assets when combined with competent professionals and sound institutions. That is the model Nigeria should pursue.
However, before a new NFF leadership is elected, there must be fundamental reforms. With the resignation of the NFF leadership, the National Sports Commission should work with relevant stakeholders and football authorities to establish a credible transition arrangement whose primary mandate should be to stabilise the federation and undertake urgent institutional reforms.
The NFF statutes and electoral framework should be reviewed to meet contemporary standards of football governance. For example, eligibility requirements for the presidency should be broadened to place greater emphasis on competence, exposure, experience, integrity and knowledge of football administration rather than unnecessarily restricting the field.
The electoral system also requires serious scrutiny. Nigeria should consider a system of balanced or super-delegate representation that gives the various components of the football family a fair and equitable voice. Referees, coaches, clubs, players, state football associations and other recognised stakeholders should have appropriately balanced representation in the electoral college. The present arrangement, in which the numerical strength of certain stakeholder groups can translate into disproportionate electoral influence, deserves reconsideration.
The objective should be simple: the NFF president should emerge because he or she is the best candidate to lead Nigerian football, not because of the size, political influence or numerical strength of a particular interest group. The electoral process, therefore, must be transparent, competitive and insulated from political manipulation.
As former Assistant Secretary of NFF, Emmanuel Ikpeme, is holding forth, Nigerians look forward to the constitution of the interim team. The expected interim or transition team must be populated by credible football stakeholders with proven records, broad acceptance and no overriding political agenda. Names such as Sani Toro, Kojo Williams, Tony Nnacheta, Garba Lawal and others could be considered alongside other credible stakeholders with the experience, independence and integrity required to help stabilise the system.
It is true that personalities alone will not save Nigerian football. What Nigeria needs is a new football governance culture, a culture in which public funds are properly accounted for, a culture in which national teams are properly prepared, a culture in which players and coaches are treated professionally, a culture in which youth development is not reduced to rhetoric, a culture in which grassroots football receives sustained investment, a culture in which technical decisions are made on merit rather than patronage, a culture in which appointments are based on competence.
The opportunity for a reset is here. The country must seize it. Nigerian football needs a new generation of administrators, of football people with professional competence, integrity and vision, supported by experts who understand finance, law, marketing, technology and modern sports management.
The time has come to rebuild Nigerian football from the foundation. Nigeria must get its football back. And the rebuilding must begin now.
