NFF Crisis: State FAs back Chris Green to lead proposed Caretaker Committee
A fresh twist has emerged in the unfolding crisis rocking the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), with State Football Association chairmen reportedly rallying behind former NFF board member, Barrister Christopher Green, as their preferred choice to head a proposed caretaker committee.
The development comes at a critical moment for Nigerian football, following the mass resignation of the NFF President, Ibrahim Musa Gusau, General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi and members of the Executive Committee.
According to a report by Sports Unlimited, the State FAs, which constitute the bulk of the NFF Congress, have rejected names previously circulated in the media and settled on Green as their preferred candidate to drive the proposed reform process.
Green, a lawyer and experienced football administrator, previously served on the NFF Executive Committee and was also Secretary of the former Sharks Football Club of Port Harcourt.
Sources cited in the report said Green’s perceived independence, experience and uncompromising approach were among the reasons for the preference.
One source was quoted as saying that Green would be difficult to manipulate and would be capable of engaging with the expected FIFA and CAF delegation.
The proposed committee, according to the report, would have Green as chairman, alongside Hon. Abubakar Ladan, Mr L. A. Haruna, SAN, Engineer Waheed Akanni, Rukayat Segilola Alaya, Coach Oko Victor Ndubuisi and Professor Tor Iorapuu.
However, the reported choice remains a proposal and does not amount to the formal appointment of a caretaker committee.
The development is coming just as FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) have moved directly into the Nigerian football crisis, directing that the ongoing NFF electoral process be suspended pending a joint assessment of the situation.
In a letter dated September 7, FIFA said it and CAF were assessing the legal, governance, administrative and electoral implications of the developments within the NFF. The two bodies stressed that they had not reached any conclusions or determined the next steps.
FIFA and CAF are also expected to send a joint assessment mission to Abuja to meet representatives of the NFF administration, Congress members, electoral bodies and the Federal Government, including the National Sports Commission.
The latest development therefore places the State FAs’ reported preference for Green within a much bigger contest over who should manage the transition and how the proposed reforms should be implemented.
The State FAs are also reportedly seeking the return of Emmanuel Ikpeme to his substantive position as Deputy General Secretary once the current transition is resolved.
The position is said to be connected to concerns over the handling of the NFF Congress, particularly after Ikpeme’s reported move to dissolve or alter the status of the Congress despite questions over whether the Acting General Secretary possessed such authority.
FIFA’s latest communication is significant in this regard, as the world governing body referred to Ikpeme as the NFF Deputy General Secretary and asked him to serve as the primary contact between the NFF, FIFA and CAF during the assessment process.
The choice of Green, if eventually adopted through the appropriate statutory process, could therefore become one of the first major tests of how the NFF Congress, the Federal Government, FIFA and CAF will reconcile competing proposals for the next phase of Nigerian football administration.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had earlier directed a comprehensive reform of Nigerian football, covering governance, administration, stakeholder representation, development pathways, domestic competitions and accountability, with engagement involving FIFA and CAF.
For now, however, the ultimate structure of any transitional arrangement remains unsettled, with FIFA and CAF’s impending assessment expected to have a major bearing on whether the proposed caretaker arrangement will proceed, be modified or give way to another solution.
The immediate battle, therefore, may no longer be simply about who leads the NFF, but who has the constitutional and international backing to oversee Nigeria’s football reset.
Join the Savid News channel on WhatsApp:
