Ibrahim Gusau has confirmed his resignation as the president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
He officially announced his resignation at a press conference in Abuja on Thursday.
“After consultation with family, friends and stakeholders, I just want to tell you that I have decided to resign from my position,” he said.
“As Nigerians, nobody is greater than this country. We all love our country and its progress. And as people who have been in football and managing football, we need to look at ourselves and ask, ‘What next?’ so we made a lot of consultations.”
Gusau added that he also advised members of the NFF board to follow his footsteps. He clarified, however, that he cannot say whether they would heed his advice.
A few minutes after Gusau’s announcement, the NFF said on its X page that Mohammed Sanusi had also stepped down as the federation’s general secretary.
The mass resignation comes a few weeks after the Super Falcons failed to qualify for the women’s World Cup for the first time since the competition’s inception. The disappointment triggered backlash for the NFF board members.
TheCable understands that the NFF leadership was pressured to step down after intervention from top brass of the federal government, from the National Sports Commission (NSC) to the presidency.
Gusau was elected NFF president in 2022, and his tenure was supposed to end next month, with an elective congress scheduled for September 27.
The fate of the congress is uncertain as reports claim that a normalisation committee will be set up to oversee the federation’s affairs until further notice.
Under Gusau’s leadership, the Super Eagles, like the Falcons, also failed to qualify for the men’s 2026 World Cup, despite Africa getting 10 slots for the first time. The failure also extended to age-grade football, with the men’s U-17 and U-20 teams missing out on World Cups.
TheCable
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