By John Shehu
It has become a culture for Nigerians to always call out the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) whenever the country misses out on an important tournament or fails to qualify for a major stage.
Nigerians immediately begin to criticise the NFF and its administration for not doing a good job and, in some cases, virtually accuse them of things they never did.
Football is a very emotional sport, and, of course, when a country like Nigeria, known for having some of the most valuable footballers in the world, loses a tournament cheaply, it is painful and shocking. However, this does not mean we should call for the removal of the NFF President or other football administrators in the country.
Just recently, the Super Falcons crashed out of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) and were denied an automatic ticket to the Women’s World Cup. In the same vein, Nigeria’s Flying Eagles crashed out of the World Cup race after losing to Burkina Faso. These are absolutely painful realities, especially given that the Super Eagles also failed to qualify for the recently concluded World Cup. However, calling out the NFF President for these losses is not the right thing to do.
It is unfortunate that even some sports journalists who are supposed to know better, have been championing calls against the NFF President, Ibrahim Gusau, following the losses last week. But, in all sincerity and without bias, the President played no role in these losses.
The first question that should be asked is: Did Nigeria lose these matches because of administrative reasons? Absolutely not.
For instance, from the AFCON to the World Cup qualifiers involving the Super Eagles, the players were well taken care of, especially in terms of welfare. They complained at some point about payments, but the issue was resolved almost immediately. Every player was highly motivated for the matches because the NFF President administered the affairs of the team effectively. However, his job ends when the match starts.
When the match starts, it is left to the players and the technical team, including the coach, to deliver a good performance. But they ended up disappointing Nigerians. How, then, is this the fault of the NFF President?
If they had lost because they were not paid, did not receive good accommodation, or were not properly fed, it would have been the NFF’s fault. But that was not the situation.
Gone are the days when players had to pay for their own accommodation, feeding, and sometimes flights. We have heard players talk about such experiences several times, and these occurred during the administrations of past NFF presidents. Yes, losses can be attributed to such treatment, but under Gusau, none of these has been the experience of the players. So why is he being blamed here?
If there is any NFF President who has prioritised the welfare of Nigerian players, it is Ibrahim Gusau, and his records speak for him. His administration has built new pitches and hostels for players and coaches with FIFA Forward funds, organised a CAF C coaching course exclusively for women, organised the CAF B coaching course for the first time in 16 years in Nigeria, and deliberately introduced young officials into the domestic top flight. By early 2025, 12 referees under the age of 20 had been officiating in the Premier League.
Honestly, Gusau’s administration has given Nigerian players the right atmosphere to thrive in football, but they simply did not perform well. It is not Gusau’s fault. You cannot expect the president to enter the field and start playing or coach the players. He delivered on his responsibilities and deserves some accolades for that, not blame.
The worst development in all of this is the rumour that the next NFF election may be cancelled due to the losses suffered across various tournaments. One can only wonder what result would be achieved if this happens. Would it in any way stop Nigeria from losing their next matches? Or is it a punishment against the NFF for what exactly? This should never be on the table, except the country wants to totally destroy football in Nigeria.
Let the election happen. If Gusau emerges again, let him continue. There is nobody in his position who would not want better performances from the players, especially given some of the reforms his administration has carried out.
Nigeria’s football problems cannot be solved by simply changing the NFF president after every disappointing result. The country needs accountability, but that accountability must be directed at the people responsible for each aspect of the game.
