Approved on 22 October by FIFA after the resignation of the executive committee of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), until then chaired by Ibrahim Gusau, the Normalisation Committee is slow to be deployed: several candidates failed integrity tests, according to LettsTV.
Nigerian football is still waiting for its transitional body. FIFA did approve, on 22 October, a Normalisation Committee tasked with reorganising the federation, but the official announcement and the deployment of this body are taking their time. The reason, according to LettsTV: several proposed candidates did not pass FIFA’s integrity tests.
This situation follows the resignation of the executive committee of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), whose former president was Ibrahim Gusau. The members of the Normalisation Committee must be appointed jointly by FIFA and CAF.
Candidates rejected before the list
According to LettsTV, the official announcement and the deployment of the Committee were delayed because several proposed candidates failed FIFA’s integrity tests.
The source indicates that the Committee should have between seven and nine members, and that up to two non-Nigerians could be appointed to help with the restructuring. No official list has been published at this stage, and there is still no way of knowing who will head the body.
Lobbying and a tight schedule
The waiting period is fuelling ambitions. A former NFF secretary general and a former influential member of the executive committee are among those lobbying to lead the Committee, according to LettsTV. The source does not specify whether these candidates passed the integrity tests.
The mandate of the future team must end no later than 31 May 2027. By then, it will be responsible for reorganising Nigerian football.
An official list awaited
The publication of the official list of Committee members depends on the validation of the integrity tests, LettsTV says.
As of the date of this report, 31 October, the official announcement of the Committee’s composition has not yet taken place.