NIGERIA Football Federation (NFF) President, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau, on Thursday, expressed concern over Nigeria’s exclusion from the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup.
He described Nigeria’s exclusion from the championship as a big blow to the country’s football development, which calls for urgent steps to address the problem.
Gusau, who was represented by NFF General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, at a two-day workshop organised for chairmen and chief operating officers of Nigeria’s football leagues and premier league clubs, said: “FIFA just came up with the Club World Cup, and four countries are representing Africa.
Unfortunately, Nigeria is not among them. It is our hope and belief that at the end of this programme, club managers should be able to come up with strategies of how to manage their clubs.”
The workshop, supported by FIFA, focuses on strategic management in football, with the aim of repositioning Nigerian clubs for better participation in continental and global competitions.
The NFF boss charged the club managers to ensure the initiative triggers a change in attitudes towards club operations, especially in areas like recruitment, staff development, and value-driven management practices.
He said: “The FIFA conference is about strategic management, bearing in mind that Nigeria, about Africa, needs to take its rightful position in club management and participation in competitions.”
He added that the workshop was the result of months of discussions with FIFA, aimed at empowering club administrators to professionally run their outfits and reduce over-reliance on government funding.
“We’ve started with the 20 premier league clubs, league CEOs, and other league management staff. Going forward, we will extend similar workshops to clubs across all tiers of the Nigerian football league system.”
