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Nigeria Football Federation President Gusau Resigns Amid Pressure Image: Oluwatamilore Adekanye
🇳🇬 Nigeria /Sports

Nigeria Football Federation President Gusau Resigns Amid Pressure

From Premium Times · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • Ibrahim Gusau has resigned as President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) after four years in office.
  • His resignation follows intense pressure from football stakeholders and disappointing results from national teams, including missing the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup.
  • Gusau cited consultations with family and stakeholders, and a breakdown in communication within the federation as reasons for his decision.

Ibrahim Gusau has stepped down as President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), confirming his resignation at a press conference in Abuja on Thursday. His departure marks the end of a four-year tenure that concluded under significant pressure from football stakeholders and following a series of poor performances by Nigeria's national teams.

Because of that, there was so much clamour from here and there, from all stakeholders, everybody. And we knew it was important to see that at least nobody is better than us. And we all love our country, and we all love the progress of our country.

— Ibrahim GusauExplaining the pressure and considerations leading to his resignation.

Gusau stated that his decision was the result of extensive consultations with his family, friends, and various stakeholders, who all expressed concerns about the state of Nigerian football. "Because of that, there was so much clamour from here and there, from all stakeholders, everybody," Gusau said. He added, "And we knew it was important to see that at least nobody is better than us. And we all love our country, and we all love the progress of our country."

The resignation comes after a turbulent period for Nigerian football. The Super Falcons' failure to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup, for the first time since its inception in 1991, was a major blow. Their exit from the 2026 Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in the quarterfinals and a subsequent loss in the World Cup qualification play-off intensified scrutiny on the NFF leadership.

And I just want to tell you, I decided to resign my position as President.

— Ibrahim GusauAnnouncing his decision at the press conference.

Adding to the pressure, the Super Eagles also failed to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, marking the second consecutive edition Nigeria will miss. Gusau acknowledged a breakdown in communication within the federation, stating, "I'm not communicating with the board; they are not communicating to me. I'm not communicating to the other assembly." The NFF had previously apologized to President Bola Tinubu and Nigerians for the setbacks and formed a fact-finding committee to investigate the team's performance.

I'm not communicating with the board; they are not communicating to me. I'm not communicating to the other assembly.

— Ibrahim GusauDescribing a breakdown in communication within the NFF.
About this summary

Originally published by Premium Times in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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