Prominent Sports administrator, Ahmed Shuaibu Gara-Gombe has warned against attempts to dethrone the President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Ibrahim Gusau at the next federation elections.
Gara-Gombe said another leadership change would not solve the country’s football problems but rather make things worse. He spoke to newsmen in Abuja on the forthcoming NFF board elections and other football related issues.
The former boss of the Gombe State Football Association, said the constant changes in leadership of the country’s football has done little to solve the challenges facing the game.
He said Nigeria has been changing football administrators for decades without fixing the structural flaws while warning that those calling for a change of leadership were concentrating on personalities, instead of basic reforms needed to revive Nigerian football.
Ex Gombe State Football Association boos, Ahmed Shuaibu Gara-Gombe. Ex Gombe State Football Association boos, Ahmed Shuaibu Gara-Gombe.
“Even if Gusau leaves today as some people are calling for, I swear to God nothing will change in Nigerian football. “Don’t be surprised if you sack Gusau today and Nigeria still doesn’t qualify for the 2030 World Cup” Gara-Gombe said.
A veteran sports administrator described the controversy that has followed every NFF election as a vicious cycle that has continued for over 40 years.
Every election season comes with its quarrels, allegations, court threats and fears of FIFA sanctions but the divisive issues are quickly forgotten once the elections are over.
“Whenever NFF elections come up in the last 40 and over years, it is confusion, fights, threat of sanctions and all manner of controversies. “Once the elections are over, everybody forgets those issues until the next election comes around,” he stressed.
Gara-Gombe blamed what he called rampant hypocrisy among football stakeholders, accusing many administrators, former players and interest groups of speaking out only when their personal interests were no longer being served.
He said he had been monitoring recent comments by newspaper editors, former internationals, administrators and officials on the NFF elections and Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. But said much of the criticism directed at Gusau was undeserved.
“The successive boards of the NFF have not made the results better by replacing them,” the former chairman of the Gombe FA who was interested in contesting for the NFF presidency but withdrew over unacceptable provisions in the electoral guidelines said.
