The President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Ibrahim Gusau, and several other board members have reportedly resigned amid mounting pressure over the management of Nigerian football. The resignations come as the Department of State Services (DSS) investigates the utilisation of a N17 billion Federal Government intervention fund approved in 2024 to settle outstanding wages and bonuses owed to national-team players.
Pressure Mounts on NFF Leadership
The NFF leadership has faced growing criticism following a series of disappointing results and administrative concerns. The latest setback was the Super Falcons' failure to qualify for the FIFA Women's World Cup for the first time in the tournament's history. Nigeria had previously appeared at every edition of the FIFA Women's World Cup since the tournament began in 1991, making this failure a historic low for the country's women's football programme.
According to Vanguard, the NFF board also came under scrutiny from security agencies over the management of government funds allocated to Nigeria's national teams. An authoritative source told Vanguard that the DSS had requested documentation showing how the funds released to the NFF were used, describing the investigation as a routine examination of financial records.
Super Falcons' World Cup Heartbreak
The probe comes amid wider concerns about the state of Nigerian football. The Super Eagles have missed consecutive FIFA World Cups, while the Super Falcons suffered a historic failure to reach the 2027 Women's World Cup. The Falcons' campaign ended with a 1-0 defeat to Cameroon in the 2026 Women's Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals, ending their title defence and forcing them into a World Cup qualification playoff route.
Nigeria subsequently lost 2-1 to South Africa's Banyana Banyana in the Women's World Cup qualification playoff, sealing the team's absence from the global tournament for the first time in over three decades.
Board Resignations and Election Implications
The NFF executive committee headed by Gusau had reportedly been under intense pressure to resign, with eight of the 13 board members allegedly having already stepped down. The mass departures could have significant implications for the NFF's scheduled September 27 elections in Lafia, Nasarawa State, potentially disrupting the planned process for electing the federation's next board.
The resignations mark a significant shake-up in Nigerian football administration, with the NFF now facing the dual challenge of navigating the DSS investigation and organising credible elections amid the leadership vacuum. The full impact of these departures on Nigerian football's governance and future international campaigns remains to be seen as the federation seeks to restore stability.
