The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has been accused of allowing some of its officials to interfere in the selection of players and appointment of coaches for the country’s national teams.
The allegation was contained in the report of a fact-finding committee established to investigate Nigeria’s recent disappointing performances in international competitions.
The committee’s former Chairman, Fanny Amun, disclosed the findings on Monday in Abuja while presenting the report, shortly before announcing his resignation from the committee.
Amun said the panel received allegations that some NFF officials, particularly members of the now-resigned executive committee, became involved in areas that should ordinarily be handled by the federation’s technical department.
He said the allegations included interference in player selection, recruitment of coaches and the transfer or sale of players.
According to him, the committee deliberately avoided naming individuals because its objective was to identify institutional weaknesses and recommend reforms rather than target specific persons.
The committee was inaugurated on Aug. 17 with a 14-day deadline but completed its assignment within three days following extensive deliberations.
It was mandated to investigate the underlying causes of Nigeria’s poor results in recent international competitions, with particular attention to the Super Falcons’ campaign at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
The panel examined several aspects of Nigerian football, including governance, funding, technical development, grassroots programmes and domestic league administration.
Amun said the committee also heard allegations that agents and other intermediaries had attempted to influence player selection during national team camps.
He warned that such interference, if established, could compromise the integrity of national team selection and affect the quality of the teams.
The committee also raised concerns about disparities in the payment of allowances to national team delegations.
Amun questioned the practice in which some officials allegedly received daily allowances while players and coaches were not given comparable payments.
He argued that those representing the country should be treated equitably, saying the existing arrangement raised questions about fairness.
On the Super Falcons’ WAFCON campaign, the committee identified weaknesses in the team’s preparations, coordination and management.
Amun said the coach, medical personnel and other members of the delegation were invited to explain the circumstances surrounding the team’s performance.
He said the coach attributed some of the difficulties to a shortage of quality friendly matches and the team’s late arrival at the tournament venue.
However, the committee believed alternative preparations could have been arranged, including matches against local teams or lower-tier opposition where suitable international fixtures were unavailable.
The panel also investigated the fitness of defender Ashleigh Plumptre and found that she had undergone surgery and was medically unfit to play at the tournament.
Amun said the player’s condition was confirmed by both the Nigerian medical team and her foreign club, ruling out speculation that her absence was connected to selection issues.
He added that the committee found no evidence that players themselves influenced the selection of teammates.
However, it raised concerns over unrestricted access by some officials to the national team camp, warning that such practices could undermine discipline and team unity.
Among its recommendations, the committee called for clearly defined responsibilities for coaches, technical officials, team secretaries, coordinators and other members of national team delegations.
It also urged the NFF to begin preparations for international competitions much earlier, while ensuring player selection is guided by fitness, form and measurable performance indicators.
Better coordination between technical and medical teams was also recommended.
On football administration, Amun advocated amendments to the NFF statutes to widen stakeholder participation in the federation’s congress.
He proposed limiting congress members to two terms and creating opportunities for both emerging and experienced stakeholders to participate in the administration of the game.
The former chairman expressed concern that some individuals had occupied influential positions for extended periods, which he said could fuel rivalry and restrict opportunities for new contributors.
The committee also called for reforms across the domestic leagues, including the Nigeria Premier Football League, Nigeria National League, Nigeria Nationwide League One and Nigeria Women’s Football League.
It recommended stronger league structures, improved financing, better coaching education, enhanced player development and more effective talent identification.
The panel further suggested that the Super Six competition should be better utilised as a platform for scouting players and feeding talent into the national teams.
It recommended increased use of technology for player registration, data management and age verification to address inconsistencies within the football system.
The committee also called for stronger regulatory and oversight frameworks and continuous training for technical and administrative personnel.
Amun said the government and corporate sector should adopt a more structured funding model for football development.
He commended President Bola Tinubu for what he described as his support for sports reforms and investment, while urging the National Sports Commission (NSC) to focus primarily on policy, regulation and oversight.
According to him, the NSC should formulate policies, monitor implementation and ensure compliance rather than perform functions that properly belong to individual sports federations.
The committee also identified refereeing as an area requiring urgent attention, recommending improved training, remuneration and international exposure for Nigerian officials.
Amun said poor officiating had continued to undermine confidence in domestic competitions and called for measures to raise refereeing standards.
For grassroots development, the panel recommended that clubs in the domestic leagues establish structured youth programmes, particularly for players in the under-15 and under-18 categories.
It also proposed that part of the revenue generated through domestic leagues should be directed towards grassroots football and youth development.
On the Super Falcons’ failure to retain the WAFCON title, Amun said the outcome should not be treated as an outright failure without considering the wider administrative, technical and preparation issues identified by the committee.
He recalled Nigeria’s record of 10 continental titles and the incentives given to the Falcons following their previous triumph, including a $100,000 reward for each player, Certificates of Occupancy and other benefits approved by the President.
Amun said the latest setback should instead serve as an opportunity to address structural weaknesses affecting Nigerian football.
He stressed that the committee’s recommendations were intended to strengthen the system rather than punish individuals, urging the relevant authorities to implement them for the benefit of players, clubs and the national teams.
Other members of the committee were Dr Alex Mana, former Super Falcons captain Desire Oparanozie, coach Ladan Bosso, former international Mutiu Adepoju and Nasiru Jibril, who served as secretary.
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