More details have emerged from Tuesday’s meeting between a Nigerian delegation led by the Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Mallam Shehu Dikko, and FIFA President Gianni Infantino at the world football governing body’s headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland.

The meeting centred on Nigeria’s proposed Normalisation Committee for the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), following the mass resignation of the Ibrahim Gusau-led NFF Board amid intense public pressure over the state of Nigerian football.President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had subsequently directed a comprehensive reform of Nigerian football, underscoring the severity of the crisis and describing the situation as a national emergency requiring urgent intervention.

In response to the presidential directive, the NSC, which supervises the activities of the NFF, proposed the establishment of a **Normalisation Committee** to oversee the reform process and organise a fresh election for a new NFF Executive Committee.

The proposal was presented to FIFA during the Nigerian delegation’s visit to Zurich for consideration and ratification.

However, despite what sources described as **“fruitful talks”** between the Nigerian delegation and Infantino’s team, FIFA has yet to formally approve the proposed committee.

Instead, FIFA is expected to send a delegation to Nigeria to assess the situation and engage with relevant stakeholders before taking a final decision on the proposed Normalisation Committee.

The world football governing body is also expected to play a significant role in determining the composition of the committee.

The resignation of the Gusau-led board has created a leadership vacuum within the NFF, which the proposed Normalisation Committee is expected to fill temporarily while the reform process is implemented.

Although initial reports suggested that the committee could operate for about three months, sources familiar with the discussions said its tenure could extend from six months to one year, depending on the scope and pace of the reforms.

FIFA is expected to be closely involved in the selection of committee members, who will be subjected to mandatory integrity and eligibility checks, similar to the requirements for executive committee members of FIFA-affiliated federations.

Against this backdrop, the NSC is continuing discussions with FIFA on the modalities for establishing the committee following Tuesday’s meeting in Zurich.

One of the leading candidates being considered to chair the proposed committee is AbdulHakeem Uthman Mustapha, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).

Mustapha is reportedly the preferred choice of a majority of influential figures within the Presidency. According to a profile published by Nigerian sports website Sports Village Square, he is a member of FIFA’s Anti-Racism and Anti-Discrimination Committee.

His involvement in the FIFA committee gives him direct exposure to the global football governing body and its administrative structures, a factor that could strengthen his candidacy for the proposed NFF Normalisation Committee.

The next major step is expected to be FIFA’s visit to Nigeria, which could determine the composition, mandate and duration of the proposed committee and set the stage for the wider reform of Nigerian football.