Stakeholders demand reduction in FA chairmen’s votes

The National Sports Commission (NSC) is expected to recommend names for an eight-member normalisation committee to FIFA, but the world football governing body will conduct comprehensive background checks on the nominees before deciding who will lead the committee, The Guardian has been told.

NSC chairman, Shehu Dikko, led some officials of the Nigeria Football Federation to Zurich a few days ago, where they met with FIFA President Gianni Infantino and others, particularly on the planned Normalisation Committee to oversee Nigerian football.

The NSC and chairmen of the various States football associations held a closed-door meeting in Abuja yesterday on the Normalisation Committee.

According to BSN Sports, FIFA remains deeply committed to the reform of Nigerian football and is working closely with the NSC to develop what it considers the best possible solutions for the country’s football administration.

“The truth is, the National Sports Commission will recommend names of the eight-man Normalisation Committee to FIFA, but FIFA will do a thorough background check on all the recommended names for the chairmanship and board membership before, in its wisdom, deciding on the best candidate to lead the committee,” a stakeholder said.

The source further claimed that the chairman of the Normalisation Committee would be appointed and remunerated by FIFA rather than the Nigerian government.

“It may shock you to know that the chairman of the Normalisation Committee will not be appointed and paid by Nigeria, but by FIFA,” the stakeholder said.

The proposed reforms are also expected to address the composition of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Congress, particularly the influence of state football associations, which currently account for 37 votes.

“We cannot have a large chunk of the electoral college coming from one particular bloc—the state football associations with 37 votes. It is very unfair to a system that has numerous blocks of stakeholders. There must be a balance,” the stakeholder argued.

The source, however, stressed that the NFF Congress would remain the supreme decision-making organ of Nigerian football and that any fundamental reforms to the federation’s statutes or electoral structure would ultimately require the approval of Congress.

“The Congress remains the highest decision-making body of Nigerian football. Whatever reforms are coming on board, or whatever deformities we want to remove, the Congress must approve them,” the stakeholder said.

According to the source, a significant number of Congress members have so far welcomed the direction being pursued by the NSC.

The stakeholder said the proposed Normalisation Committee would be expected to undertake a comprehensive review of the Nigerian football ecosystem, to eliminate longstanding administrative shortcomings and establish a more transparent and professional system.

“The system is being reformed. It will be a total overhaul of the football ecosystem. We are taking a critical look at how things were done and what should be done differently.

“This means it will no longer be business as usual. We must put round pegs in round holes. People appointed into positions must be properly qualified. Those who are due for retirement must retire honourably, while those whose contracts have expired should either have them renewed based on merit or be allowed to leave.

“The era of fake results, fake promotions, padding and hand-picking must stop. A lot of things simply have to change.”

The stakeholder also disclosed that reform efforts would focus on the process leading to the NFF Elective Congress, with a proposal to broaden representation beyond the traditional stakeholders.

“The committee is reforming the process leading to the NFF Elective Congress. We are expanding the Congress and inviting all critical stakeholders to bring their expertise to the table.

“Over the years, the Congress was hijacked by a few individuals, but now, following consultations with FIFA, we have agreed to open the doors.”

The Guardian learnt yesterday that some stakeholders want the FA Chairmen grouped into zones to balance the voting system instead of allowing 37 votes to come from one bloc alone.