World football governing body FIFA will be heavily involved in the selection process of individuals who will be in the normalisation committee of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) , OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.
The mass resignation of the Ibrahim Musa Gusau led board of the NFF created a vacuum that is expected to be filled by a normalisation committee to run the affairs of Nigerian football for a period of time.
While initial reports say the committee will last for around three months, sources say it could be as long as six to one year in the hope that the reform is wholly and thoroughly done by the National Sports Commission (NSC).
FIFA will play a huge role on the members, who will all be made to undergo the mandatory integrity and eligibility test like all executive committee members of FIFA affiliates.
To that extent, the NSC and FIFA are locked in talks with FIFA for the process following yesterday’s successful meeting at the football governing headquarters.
Like we exclusively reported the leading candidate to lead the committee is Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) in AbdulHakeem Uthman Mustapha is the choice of majority of power brokers in the presidency.
Our checks on his profile from Nigerian website Sports Village Square, revealed that Mustapha is a member of FIFA’s Anti-Racism and Anti-Discrimination Committee, a position that gives him direct exposure to the global football governing body and its administrative framework.
He also previously served as President of the CAF Appeal Committee, placing him among Nigerians with substantial experience in African football’s legal and judicial structures.
His international football credentials could prove particularly important if the proposed normalisation process is expected to enjoy the confidence of FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman
