NFF refusing to honour FIFA directive over Referee appointment committee leadership

Nigeria Football Federation has refused to follow the world football governing body’s ethics in appointing executive members into various committees and departments despite FIFA’s new rules and guidelines.

One of the committees affected by the FIFA new rules is the referee appointment committee which is headed by the Kano State Football Association chairman Dr. Sharif Inuwa Ahlan.  Ahlan was re-elected in 2019 Nigeria Football Federation in Katsina state as one of the executive members of the federation was a not a trained football referee or retired match official, prior to the new FIFA rules and guideline, which was sent to the Nigeria Football Federation by FIFA outlining that the “The Referee department of all the football federations/ association across the world must be headed by a retired referee and not by appointment not election”, Dr. Ahlan was the chairman of the referee appointment committee, this committee is in-charge of match officials for all the three Nigeria domestic league.

Last month, A circular from FIFA to the Nigeria  Football Federation has ordered that referee’ appointment bodies across the world should now be headed by a  retired referee.

Meanwhile, a close source disclosed that one of the Assistant Referee Abdul Rasheed last June has been retired from active referee led by Dr. Shariff Inuwa Ahlan led committee due to his decision that denied Kano Pillars NPFL ambition last season.