Nigeria have missed the past two editions of the men's World Cup while the West Africans will also be absent from the 2027 Women's World Cup

🌐 Here's What Happened

The president, general secretary and executive committee of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) have all resigned, leaving a leadership vacuum at the top of the sport in the country.

Outgoing president Ibrahim Gusau - whose tenure was set to expire in 34 days - confirmed he was stepping down during a news conference in Abuja on Thursday, saying he had come to the decision "after consultation with family, friends and stakeholders".

Elected in September 2022, he had faced mounting scrutiny over the performance of Nigeria's national teams and youth sides but was expected to stand for re-election.

📌 Key Details

Nigeria's men have failed to qualify for the last two World Cups, but pressure on the NFF hierarchy intensified in recent weeks after the Super Falcons missed out on a place at the 2027 Women's World Cup, bringing to an end the country's perfect attendance record at those finals since its inception in 1991.

The team went into the recent Women's Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) as defending champions but were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Cameroon before losing a World Cup play-off against South Africa.

"Going forward, I know the future of Nigerian football will be great," Gusau said.

"I hope we will continue to give our contribution, because our experience and the connections and relationship we have within African football, we'll never allow it to go to vain."

While the Super Eagles finished runners-up at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations under Gusau's administration, missing back-to-back World Cups represents an unprecedented decline for one of Africa's traditional football powerhouses.

Nigeria has similarly struggled to make a significant impact in continental and global competitions at age-grade level.

📰 Source: BBC Africa