The day many Nigerian football stakeholders have been expecting is finally here. Today a delegation of top FIFA officials is expected to arrive in Abuja to look at ways of ensuring a peaceful resolution of the litany of ssues dogging Nigerian football to the extent that the president of the country’s federation, Ibrahim Gusau, the body’s secretary general, Mohammed Sanusi and other board members of the federation were forced to resign.

According to feelers from the NFF, which has Dr Emmanuel Ikpeme, as acting secretary general, the FIFA delegation on arrival will be received by top government officials, including the Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Shehu Dikko, NSC’s director-general, Bukola Olopade and top NFF officials, among others.

The FIFA delegation is expected to look into circumstances leading to the mass resignation of the NFF board members, Nigeria’s efforts at restructuring the governance structure of the NFF, including the statutes of the federation (which has been the crux of stakeholders’ agitation for a more inclusive body) the NFF’s electoral process and a new timetable for the elective congress and the government’s role(s) in the affairs of the federation.

The FIFA delegation is expected to engage relevant stakeholders to establish a lawful and acceptable route back to a functioning Congress, with a view to finding a lasting solution to the NFF’s leadership crisis, which crops up every four years.

The current NFF impasse surfaced when the Super Eagles and the women’s national football team failed to qualify for the 2026 World Cup in North America and the Women’s World Cup billed to hold in Brazil next year.

Coupled with the junior national teams, Golden Eaglets, and Flying Eagles’ failure to qualify for their respective competitions, stakeholders felt it was obvious that the Gusau-led NFF had no clue on how to make the country’s football successful at all fronts.

FIFA’s challenge, according to observers, is finding a way to birth a succession process acceptable to all interest groups, as well as helping the country to find a seamless growth pattern that will encourage the private sector to participate in the game.