FIFA Delays Approval of NFF Caretaker Committee, Sets Fact-Finding Mission to Nigeria Before Final Green Light

World football governing body FIFA has paused the immediate ratification of the proposed Normalisation Committee to administer Nigerian football, resolving to send an official fact-finding mission to the country before granting formal approval.

The development follows high-level consultative talks held at the FIFA headquarters in Zurich between FIFA President Gianni Infantino and a Nigerian federal sports delegation headed by the Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Mallam Shehu Dikko. The meeting had been arranged to navigate the administrative vacuum created by the mass resignation of the Ibrahim Musa Gusau-led Executive Committee of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) following widespread public dissatisfaction and presidential directives for sweeping structural overhaul.

While world football authorities welcomed the federal government’s commitment to reforming the sport without unlawful political interference, FIFA opted to hold back immediate endorsement of the transition team. Instead, a specialized FIFA delegation will visit Nigeria to evaluate the governance framework on the ground, consult with critical stakeholders, and ensure that the caretaker arrangement adheres strictly to global football statutes.

Insiders familiar with the ongoing deliberations reveal that FIFA intends to retain direct oversight over the composition of the eight-person caretaker team. Every nominee forwarded by the NSC will undergo rigorous international background checks and eligibility clearances. To safeguard institutional neutrality and insulate the transition from domestic political pressure, the chairman of the committee will be appointed and placed on FIFA’s payroll rather than receiving remuneration from state coffers.

Leading the shortlist for the chairmanship is Senior Advocate of Nigeria, AbdulHakeem Uthman Mustapha, whose current membership in FIFA’s Anti-Racism and Anti-Discrimination Committee gives him established standing within Zurich’s legal and administrative circles.

The anticipated transition body is expected to manage the nation’s football affairs for an estimated window of six months to one year. Beyond overseeing day-to-day national team fixtures and league coordination, the committee’s primary assignment will be to rewrite flawed electoral regulations—notably addressing the over-concentration of voting power in the hands of state FA chairpersons—and conducting transparent, credible elections to usher in a new substantive NFF board.