FIFA President Gianni Infantino has called for stronger institutional structures and clearer development pathways for young footballers in Nigeria as the world football governing body steps up engagement with the country’s sports authorities.
Infantino made the call after meeting a Nigerian delegation led by National Sports Commission (NSC) Chairman, Shehu Dikko, at the FIFA headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland, on Tuesday.
The FIFA president said the meeting focused on governance, institutional development and ongoing collaboration between FIFA and Nigerian football stakeholders.
“I was pleased to sit down with a delegation from Nigeria, led by National Sports Commission Chairman Shehu Dikko, at the Home of FIFA in Zürich to hold important discussions and align on our vision for football in the country,” Infantino said.
He added that FIFA was exploring areas where it could provide further support to strengthen the game in Nigeria.
“While stressing the need to create stronger structures and pathways to provide even more opportunities for the youth, we explored areas where FIFA can further support the growth of our beautiful game in this football-passionate country,” he said.
The meeting comes amid a major reform push in Nigerian football following the resignation of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) executive committee and President Bola Tinubu’s call for urgent action over what he described as repeated failures in the administration of the sport.
The NFF has said FIFA accepted the resignations of the federation’s principal officers and expressed its readiness to work with the Nigerian government, the NFF administration and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) on a comprehensive reform roadmap.
The Nigerian delegation in Zurich included Dikko, NSC Director-General Bukola Olopade, former NFF President and former FIFA Council member Amaju Pinnick, Acting NFF General Secretary Emmanuel Ikpeme and NFF Director of Legal Services Okey Obi.
According to the NFF, both sides agreed that further discussions would be held to fine-tune short-, medium- and long-term reforms aimed at establishing an inclusive new NFF administration and creating a stable environment for football development.
Dikko also assured stakeholders that the reform process would be thorough and conducted in line with relevant football rules, regulations and statutes.
The push for reform follows growing concerns over the performance of Nigeria’s national and youth teams, including the failure of the senior men’s and women’s teams to qualify for their respective World Cups.
The NFF has also faced scrutiny over its governance and financial management, intensifying calls for structural changes within the federation.
Following the mass resignations, an interim administrative structure has been established at the NFF. Ikpeme, who previously served as deputy general secretary, was endorsed to oversee the NFF Secretariat as acting general secretary, while former Director of Media and Communications Ademola Olajire was appointed acting deputy general secretary.
The latest engagement with FIFA is expected to form part of broader efforts to reset the administration and development structure of Nigerian football.
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