By BASHIR ISA
It is true that the conversation about reforming Nigerian football must go beyond the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
That is especially if the post-Gusau era is genuinely expected to usher in a new chapter, then the spotlight must also turn to the 37 State Football Associations and how they administer the game at the grassroots.
I recently came across your article titled “Post-Gusau’s NFF era: State FAs also need scrutiny,” and found it both timely and thought-provoking.
READ ON: KASHIGA: Northwest Varsity whitewashes Yusuf Maitama Sule COE Ghari 4–0, advances to next round
The article rightly drew attention to the troubling administrative practices and weaknesses within State Football Associations and how these problems continue to affect the development of football at both state and national levels.
However, I believe the conversation deserves to go further because it is difficult to reform Nigerian football effectively by changing leadership at the NFF while leaving the structures at the state level largely untouched.
State FAs are the foundation upon which the national football administration is built. They serve as the critical link between grassroots football, clubs, players, coaches, referees, academies and the NFF.
When these structures are weak, poorly managed or dominated by personal interests, the consequences are felt throughout the football ecosystem.
Administrative inefficiency, internal politics, lack of accountability and weak development programmes can affect competitions, talent identification, coaching, refereeing, women’s football and the overall growth of the sport.
Therefore, the post-Gusau era should not merely be about replacing personalities at the national level. It should be an opportunity to examine the entire football administration system, from the NFF to the State FAs and ultimately Area Councils I the Local Government Areas.
Here are some areas that deserve serious attention.
- State FAs Need Clear Performance Standards
Every State FA should operate with clearly defined and measurable performance targets. These targets should cover competitions, grassroots development, youth programmes, coaching and referee development, women’s football, and school football and talent identification.
At the beginning of every football season, each State FA should be made to prepare and publish an annual football development plan.
The plan should state the competitions to be organised, expected participation, youth development initiatives, coaching and refereeing programmes, partnerships and other activities designed to grow football in the state.
At the end of the season, the association should be required to report what it achieved against those targets.
- Football Administration Must Be Properly Documented and Digitised
Another important area that deserves emphasis is the proper documentation and digitalisation of football administration.
Player and club registration, competition records, disciplinary decisions, financial records, minutes of meetings and other important administrative information should be properly documented and, where appropriate, digitised.
A modern football administration cannot continue to depend heavily on paper files and poorly maintained records.
Proper digital records would improve transparency, reduce manipulation, protect institutional memory and make it easier to verify decisions and information.
- Disciplinary and Protest Systems Must Be Fair
State FAs should strengthen their disciplinary and protest mechanisms. Clubs, players and other stakeholders must have access to fair, transparent and timely procedures for resolving disputes.
Decisions should be based on established regulations and evidence rather than personal relationships, political considerations or administrative influence.
A football system cannot command respect if stakeholders believe that rules are applied selectively.
- Stakeholders Must Have a Voice
State FAs should establish effective mechanisms for regular consultation with clubs, coaches, referees, players, academies and other stakeholders. Regular stakeholder meetings should become a normal part of football administration.
Major policies and competition regulations should not be developed without adequate consultation with those who will be directly affected.
Football administration should be participatory, not simply directive.
- Develop a New Generation of Football Administrators
Football reform should not be reduced to replacing one chairman with another. Nigeria needs to deliberately develop a new generation of competent football administrators.
Young administrators should be trained in sports management, finance, governance, competition administration, marketing and modern football development.
The long-term objective should be to build institutions that can survive changes in leadership.
- Integrate Football Academies
The relationship between State FAs and football academies also deserves serious attention.
Academies provide an important pathway for identifying and developing young talent, yet many operate with limited integration into the formal football structure.
State FAs should establish appropriate systems for recognising, monitoring and supporting legitimate academies while ensuring that young players are properly protected.
- Women’s Football Must Be Part of the Mainstream
Women’s football should not be treated as an occasional programme. Every State FA should have a clear development strategy for women’s football, including structured leagues, youth competitions and talent-development programmes.
Girls and women must have sustainable opportunities to participate, compete and progress in the game.
Similarly, football for persons with disabilities should receive greater institutional attention.
Para-football and inclusive football programmes should form part of the responsibilities of State FAs rather than being left entirely too independent organisations or individual initiatives.
- Referee Development Requires Serious Investment
The quality of football competitions depends heavily on the quality of officiating.
Referees and other match officials require regular training, assessment and opportunities to officiate competitive matches.
State FAs should therefore establish stronger referee-development programmes that can produce competent officials capable of progressing to national and international levels.
- State FAs Must Build Sustainable Partnerships
Football development cannot depend entirely on government funding and registration fees.
State FAs should actively develop partnerships with schools, tertiary institutions, local governments, private organisations and corporate sponsors.
Properly structured partnerships can provide additional resources for competitions, facilities, talent development and capacity building.
A progressive State FA should be able to demonstrate its ability to attract and manage additional resources for football development.
- Infrastructure Should Be Part of the Assessment
Infrastructure should also form part of the assessment of every State FA.
Although State FAs may not own most sporting facilities, they should work closely with government authorities and facility managers to ensure that available football grounds are suitable for organised competitions.
There is little value in having ambitious football development plans without adequate playing facilities.
- Institutional Records Must Survive Leadership Changes
Another important issue is the preservation of institutional records.
A change in leadership should not mean the disappearance of previous records, financial documents, competition statistics, club information or development plans.
State FAs should maintain proper institutional archives so that each new administration can build on previous achievements rather than start from scratch.
Institutions must be bigger than the individuals who temporarily lead them.
- Competition Rules Must Be Applied Consistently
Registration requirements, player eligibility, disciplinary regulations, protest procedures and competition formats should be clearly communicated to participating clubs.
More importantly, the rules must be applied consistently.
Selective enforcement of regulations can destroy confidence in the entire football administration system.
- Introduce Annual Performance Evaluation
Perhaps the most important reform is the introduction of a culture of performance evaluation.
At the end of every football season, State FAs should be able to demonstrate what they achieved.
How many competitions were organised?
How many clubs and teams participated?
How many young players were identified and developed?
How many coaches and referees were trained?
What resources were received?
How were those resources utilised?
These are the questions that should determine whether an administration is performing or failing.
Reform Must Go Beyond Personalities
The reform of State Football Associations should not simply be an exercise in changing personalities.
It should be about building stronger institutions, transparent processes, professional administration and measurable development outcomes.
If the new era of Nigerian football is genuinely intended to restore public confidence, the reform must reach the grassroots.
State FAs are where national football policies eventually become reality. If they are effective, accountable and development-oriented, they can become powerful engines for rebuilding Nigerian football.
The ultimate test of every State Football Association should therefore be simple:
What has it actually done to develop football in its state?
Leadership positions should be measured by results, not merely influence.
Registration fees should be reflected in competitions and services.
AGMs should provide genuine accountability.
Elections should be credible.
Clubs should be treated as partners.
Players should have opportunities to compete and develop.
Coaches and referees should have platforms to improve.
Young talents should have clear pathways from grassroots football to higher levels.
Time to Limit Tenure
There should also be a limit on the number of terms an elected officer can serve in a State Football Association.
No individual should be allowed to dominate a football administration indefinitely.
Term limits would create room for fresh ideas, new leadership and different approaches to football development.
They would also reduce the risk of football administration becoming permanently controlled by a small circle of individuals.
If continuity is important, but so is renewal.
The Real Meaning of the Post-Gusau Era
The post-Gusau era should therefore not be defined merely by who succeeds Ibrahim Gusau at the NFF.
The bigger question should be whether Nigerian football is prepared to change the culture and systems that have held it back for years.
Reform must move from the NFF to the State FAs and from the State FAs to the Area Councils.
If the national body is reformed but State FAs continue to operate without clear performance standards, proper records, accountability, credible elections and measurable development objectives, then the promised transformation will remain incomplete.
Nigeria does not simply need new football leaders.
It needs better football institutions.
And the process of building those institutions must begin at every level, from the NFF to the State Football Associations and, most importantly, at the grassroots where the future of Nigerian football is being produced.
Bashir Isa resides in Gwammaja, Kano City.
