The Nigeria Football Federation has picked 27 representatives from different sections of the country’s football community for a crucial meeting with FIFA and CAF officials in Abuja on September 14, as consultations continue over the future structure of Nigerian football, Nigeriasoccernet.com reports.
The meeting, scheduled for the Abuja Continental Hotel, is expected to form part of wider discussions on the federation’s leadership crisis and the reform process that followed the resignation of former NFF President Ibrahim Gusau, the entire Executive Committee and Secretary General Mohammed Sanusi.
FIFA and CAF officials are expected to use the engagement to hear directly from representatives of key football constituencies and gather perspectives on the proposed reforms, including discussions surrounding the possibility of a normalisation committee.
An NFF letter dated September 9, 2026, and signed by Acting Secretary General Emmanuel Ikpeme, confirmed that only nine of the 37 State Football Association chairmen will attend the meeting.
The latest communication supersedes an earlier letter issued on September 8 and outlines the categories of representatives expected at the meeting.
The nine selected State FA chairmen will be joined by the president of the Coaches Association and two additional representatives, with one coming from the North and another from the South.
The Referees Association and Players Union will follow a similar structure, with each body sending its president alongside two representatives, one from each of the two broad geographical zones.
The country's domestic league structures will also have a presence at the meeting.
The Nigeria Premier Football League, Nigeria Women's Football League, Nigeria National League and Nigeria Nationwide League One are each expected to send their Chief Operating Officer as well as two club representatives, one from the North and one from the South.
Ikpeme directed the various bodies to forward the names of their selected delegates to the NFF Secretariat within 48 hours.
All participants were also instructed to arrive with valid identification, including an international passport, driver's licence or voter's card.
The Abuja meeting comes at a sensitive period for Nigerian football, with stakeholders still waiting for clearer details on what form the proposed transition or reform arrangement will take.
The leadership crisis intensified following Gusau's resignation alongside the entire Executive Committee and Sanusi, creating uncertainty around the federation's administration and the future of the electoral process that had previously been scheduled.
The involvement of FIFA and CAF in consultations with representatives across the football spectrum is therefore expected to attract significant attention, particularly over the framework that will guide the reform process and whether any transitional structure will precede the emergence of a new elected NFF leadership.
With state associations, players, coaches, referees and the various league bodies all represented, stakeholders will be hoping the September 14 engagement produces a broad-based and transparent pathway capable of restoring stability and strengthening the administration of Nigerian football.