FIFA Approves Normalisation Committee For NFF, Bar Members From Contesting Election

By Saheed Afolabi

FIFA has approved the establishment of a normalisation committee to manage the affairs of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) until a new Executive Committee is elected.

The world football governing body confirmed the decision in a letter signed by its Secretary General, Mattias Grafström, and addressed to the NFF Acting General Secretary, Dr Emmanuel Ikpeme on Thursday.

According to FIFA, the committee will consist of a suitable number of members to be jointly appointed by FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as soon as possible.

The committee will oversee the federation’s operations and ensure the continuity of its administration pending the election of a new NFF Executive Committee.

FIFA stated that the committee’s tenure would end once it had fulfilled its assigned responsibilities, with May 31, 2027, set as the latest possible deadline for completing its mandate.

The governing body also stipulated that individuals appointed to the normalisation committee would be barred from contesting any position in the forthcoming NFF elections.

The restriction is intended to separate the committee’s transitional responsibilities from the electoral process that will produce the federation’s next leadership.

Until the committee is formally constituted, the NFF Secretariat will continue to handle the federation’s daily operations and oversee football administration across the country.

The appointment is expected to provide an interim administrative structure for Nigerian football while preparations are made for fresh elections into the NFF Executive Committee.