FIFA President Gianni Infantino has called for the creation of stronger structures and clearer development pathways in Nigerian football following a high-level meeting with a Nigerian delegation at the Home of FIFA in Zürich.
The meeting, held on Tuesday, was led by the Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Shehu Dikko. Discussions focused on institutional, governance and developmental issues, as well as ongoing collaborations between FIFA and Nigeria.
In a statement after the engagement, Infantino said: “I was pleased to sit down with a delegation from Nigeria, led by National Sports Commission Chairman Shehu Dikko, at the Home of FIFA in Zürich to hold important discussions and align on our vision for football in the country. We had a detailed talk on institutional, governance and developmental topics, as well as our ongoing collaborations,” he stated.
“While stressing the need to create stronger structures and pathways to provide even more opportunities for the youth, we explored areas where FIFA can further support the growth of our beautiful game in this football-passionate country,” he concluded.
The Nigerian delegation included NSC Director-General Bukola Olopade, former NFF President Amaju Pinnick, Acting NFF General Secretary Emmanuel Ikpeme and NFF Director of Legal Services Okey Obi.
The engagement comes as Nigerian football enters a reform phase following the mass resignation of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Executive Committee.
Both sides agreed to continue engagements aimed at fine-tuning a comprehensive roadmap for short-, medium- and long-term reforms, with the goal of establishing an inclusive new NFF administration and a stable environment for the growth of the game.
Infantino also extended best wishes to Nigeria’s women’s youth teams competing in upcoming FIFA tournaments.