Ibrahim Gusau and NFF board resign as Nigeria Football hits crisis point

[p]Gusau confirmed his resignation during a press conference in Abuja on Thursday, saying he made the decision after consulting his family, friends and key stakeholders.[/p][p]The leadership crisis deepened after reports that the majority of the 13 members of the NFF board had resigned.[/p][p]The NFF has now convened an emergency congress in Abuja to determine its next steps and address the status of the executive committee.[/p][p]The development comes just weeks before the scheduled NFF elections and follows mounting pressure over the management of Nigerian football, particularly the disappointing performances of the country’s national teams.[/p][image alt="Super Falcons, Nigeria" id="512f94b7-e618-4553-baea-1fa6de55eda8" credit-line="eragbie Joshua / Alamy / Profimedia" guid="8aa0f2d2-a138-4880-a5ac-4bf196a464c6" original-width="1400" original-height="1024" /][p]Pressure on the NFF leadership intensified after the ten-time African queens suffered a setback by failing to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.[/p][p]Nigeria had featured in every edition of the Women’s World Cup since the tournament began in 1991. [/p][p]However, that remarkable record came to an end after Justine Madugu’s team got eliminated from the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations by Cameroon in the quarter-finals.[/p][p]The defeat ended Nigeria’s title defence and forced the team into a World Cup play-off route, where they subsequently lost to South Africa.[/p][p]Prior to that, the Nigeria U20 team had failed to qualify for the 2027 U20 Africa Cup of Nations following a humiliating defeat to Burkina Faso in the final of the WAFU Zone B U20 Championship in Yamoussoukro.[/p][p]Although the Super Eagles finished runners-up at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations under Gusau’s administration, their failure to reach consecutive World Cups has increased scrutiny of the federation.[/p][p]Beyond results on the pitch, the NFF has also faced questions over its financial management.[/p][p]The Department of State Services (DSS) reportedly joined other security agencies in examining the utilisation of a N17 billion Federal Government intervention fund approved in 2024 to settle outstanding wages, bonuses and other obligations owed to Nigeria’s national teams.[/p][p]With the NFF now facing a leadership vacuum, stakeholders will hope the crisis can become an opportunity for greater accountability, structural reforms and a fresh direction for Nigerian football.[/p]