FIFA has approved the appointment of a Normalisation Committee to oversee the affairs of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) pending fresh elections into the federation’s executive committee.

The Bureau of the FIFA Council approved the measure on Thursday, with the committee expected to manage the transition and conclude its assignment no later than May 31, 2027.

In a letter signed by FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafström and addressed to Dr Emmanuel Ikpeme, the world football governing body said the committee’s members would be appointed jointly by FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

“The normalisation committee shall consist of a suitable number of members, who will be appointed jointly by FIFA and CAF as soon as possible,” the letter stated.

It added that the committee’s tenure would end once it had fulfilled its responsibilities, subject to the May 31, 2027 deadline.

FIFA also stipulated that none of the committee members would be eligible to contest any position in the forthcoming NFF elections.

In the interim, the NFF secretariat will continue to handle the federation’s day-to-day administration pending the appointment of the committee.

The decision comes amid a leadership crisis at the NFF following the resignation of President Ibrahim Gusau, General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi and members of the federation’s executive committee in August. The resignations created uncertainty over the leadership transition and the process for conducting fresh elections.

The proposed intervention is expected to provide a temporary administrative framework for Nigerian football while preparations are made for a new elected leadership.

Normalisation committees are used by FIFA in exceptional circumstances to oversee football associations during periods of governance instability and help restore regular administration through a defined transition process.

The approval marks a significant development in efforts to resolve the NFF leadership crisis. However, the names of the committee members and the details of its operational arrangements were not provided in the letter.

Until the committee is appointed, the NFF secretariat will remain responsible for the federation’s daily operations.