The Nigeria Football Federation has set up a fact-finding committee to look into the unwholesome poor run of the country’s National Teams in international competitions, with specific attention to the Super Falcons’ failure to qualify for next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup finals.

Ten-time champions and holders of the Women Africa Cup of Nations, the Super Falcons, were booted out of the ongoing 14th edition of the competition in Morocco at the quarter-final stage, and then fell 1-2 to South Africa in a playoff to enter into the Inter-Confederations Playoffs scheduled for later this year.

It means that Nigeria, hitherto, the supreme power of African women football, will not be at the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup finals to be staged in Brazil, after being a fixture at every edition since the competition was launched in 1991.

Former NFF General Secretary, Ambassador Fanny Amun, MON heads the committee that also has former Nigeria U20 tactician and president of the Nigeria Football Coaches Association, Coach Ladan Bosso; former Super Falcons’ captain, multiple Women AFCON winner and FIFA World Cup star Desire Oparanozie; former Super Eagles’ captain, AFCON winner and FIFA World Cup star, Mutiu Adepoju and former FIFA referee, Dr. Alex Mana.

Chairman of the Sokoto State Football Association, Mallam Mohammed Nasiru Sa’idu, will serve as the Secretary.
The decision by the NFF to set up a committee to ‘look into itself’ was described as laughable by some stakeholders on Friday.

Meanwhile, the race for the September elections to the board of NFF is gathering momentum and with more individuals throwing their hats into the ring for the top seat, as the NFF President.

Determined to bring a breathe of fresher air into the Nigeria football ecosystem, is the consummate sports administrator and entrepreneur, Segun Solanke, who has expressed his strong interest for the NFF presidency.

Speaking with journalists on his ambition, Solanke, who is coming aboard with the agenda ‘One Vision, One Football, One Nigeria’, said, “For me, this is not about the title of NFF President. It is about what that office can do for Nigerian football and for the millions of Nigerians who live and breathe the game.

“I have seen Nigerian football from different angles as an administrator, as an investor, as a club owner and as somebody working with young athletes.

“And what concerns me is that we have an extraordinary amount of talent, passion and resources, but we have not built a football system that consistently converts those advantages into success.”

He stated that qualifying for the World Cup and other international tournaments should be the minimum expectation.

Solanke, who is President and Chief Executive Officer of Provazios Sports Limited, including Olumo United and FC Provazios, disclosed that he is armed with laudable and long terms aimed at repositioning Nigeria as a hub for sports tourism and talent development and includes building a sustainable football infrastructure and ecosystem that helps to create globally competitive athletes.

He believes there is serious needs to change the narratives of Nigerian football.

“We have now missed two World Cups in succession, including the recent failure of the Super Falcons to qualify for the World Cup and same, for our age grade teams. We should ask ourselves serious questions about the way we plan and manage our football.

“I want to lead the NFF, because I believe we can build a system that is more professional, transparent and a commercially sustainable one, that develops players from the grassroots, protects the interests of clubs and athletes, strengthens our leagues and gives our national teams the structure they need to compete consistently,”he remarked.

“I want Nigerians to once again look at our football administration and believe that there is a clear direction for the game. That is the reason, I am offering myself,” Solanke said.