Nigerian football crisis deepens as NFF dissolves NPFL board
Following the resignation of the NFF president, Ibrahim Gusau, it has been reported that the NPFL board has also been dissolved.
The crisis engulfing Nigerian football has taken another dramatic turn after the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) directed the leadership of the country’s major domestic leagues to hand over the administration of their competitions to federation-appointed officials.
The directive affects the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), Nigeria National League (NNL), Nigeria Women Football League and Nationwide League One.
Under the interim arrangement, the chairmen, appointed directors and chief executive officers of the affected league bodies have been instructed to hand over their responsibilities to their respective Chief Operating Officers (COOs), who are members of the NFF staff.
Where a league's current COO is not an NFF staff member, the federation's Acting General Secretary will deploy a new COO to take over the role.
The sweeping directive comes amid a period of uncertainty in Nigerian football and appears to signal a major restructuring of the administration of the domestic game.
NFF announces interim administration
According to the federation, the measures are temporary and are designed to maintain continuity in the running of Nigerian football while wider consultations and reforms are being developed.
The NFF said the interim arrangements will remain in place pending the conclusion of engagements with FIFA, the Confederation of African Football (CAF), the Nigerian government and other stakeholders.
These discussions are expected to form the basis of a roadmap for what the federation described as comprehensive reforms of Nigerian football.
The NFF is yet to provide a detailed timeline for the proposed reforms or indicate when permanent league administrations will be constituted.
NPFL board affected
The development is particularly significant for the NPFL, Nigeria's top-flight domestic competition, as its existing leadership has been directed to relinquish administrative control.
The NPFL has undergone several changes in its administrative structure over the years as Nigerian football authorities have attempted to improve the organisation, commercial appeal and governance of the domestic league.
The latest decision could therefore lead to another major transition at the top of the country's premier football competition.
However, the directive does not indicate that the NPFL or the other domestic leagues will cease operations. Instead, the NFF has stressed that the interim arrangement is intended to ensure that league activities continue during the transition.
Wider reforms expected
The federation's reference to ongoing engagements with FIFA, CAF, government and other stakeholders suggests that the latest changes could form part of a broader attempt to address longstanding structural issues within Nigerian football.
The NFF said the next steps would involve activating a roadmap for the comprehensive reforms being envisaged for the country's football administration.
Further changes and directives are expected to be communicated by the federation in due course.
For now, the immediate effect is that the existing leadership structures of the NPFL, NNL, NWFL and NLO are being replaced on an interim basis by NFF-appointed personnel.
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