Nigeria federation president Ibrahim Gusau under fire as Super Falcons’ World Cup miss sparks resignation calls

Calls for the resignation of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) President Ibrahim Gusau have intensified following the Super Falcons’ failure to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Nigeria’s 2-1 defeat to South Africa in Thursday’s decisive play-off in Morocco brought an end to the country’s remarkable record of appearing at every Women’s World Cup since the tournament began in 1991.

The setback has triggered renewed scrutiny of the NFF’s leadership, with angry supporters questioning Gusau’s stewardship of Nigerian football. South Africa and Ghana have advanced to the FIFA Inter-Confederation Play-Off Tournament, while Nigeria’s qualification campaign is over.

With the NFF election now less than two months away, the defeat has shifted attention from the Super Falcons’ performance to the federation’s leadership and preparations.

‘He should resign’

Social media reactions have been dominated by calls for Gusau to step aside rather than seek another term.

One supporter, @SarkinFoto, wrote: “The NFF President needs to tender a resignation letter before daybreak and NOT an apology letter.”

Ben Marke was similarly critical, posting: “In a sane society this guy ought to resign and apologize for wasting our time.”

Another supporter, @Weirdmaskman NG, argued that Gusau should recognise the growing discontent and leave office.

“You don’t even have to clamour for his resignation. A responsible person would read the room and call it quits while he’s behind,” he wrote.

The criticism follows Nigeria’s failure to qualify for both senior FIFA World Cups. The Super Eagles missed the 2026 men’s tournament after losing to DR Congo on penalties in the African play-off final in November 2025.

Nigeria will therefore miss the men’s and women’s World Cups in the same cycle for the first time, adding weight to the growing calls for change within the country’s football administration.

Gusau defends NFF preparations

Gusau had defended the federation’s preparations before the decisive clash with South Africa, insisting that the Super Falcons had been given competitive opposition.

“Well, we are doing our best. You know, sometimes people just like to talk anyhow,” he said.

He cited friendly matches against Cameroon in Nigeria and Yaoundé, as well as efforts to arrange a meeting with Senegal, as evidence of the NFF’s work.

“If you can remember, between the period of November and March this year, we made the Super Falcons have a friendly match with the Cameroonian national team in Nigeria and in Yaoundé. And then, just about two months ago, we tried to organise a friendly match for them against the Senegal national team,” he said.

Gusau also explained why the NFF preferred African opposition ahead of the tournament.

“We are coming for an African tournament. Nobody should expect us to go and arrange a match for the Super Falcons against Norway or Sweden or what have you. We need to look at a competitive team from the African continent because we expect that along the line we can meet them and see what happens. At the end of the day, we met Cameroon,” he said.

But South Africa’s victory has intensified questions over whether the preparation was sufficient.

A growing list of setbacks

The pressure on the NFF extends beyond the senior national teams.

The Golden Eaglets have missed three successive FIFA U-17 World Cups despite Nigeria being the competition’s most successful nation with five titles.

The Flying Eagles’ impending absence from the next Africa U-20 Nations Cup has also placed their hopes of reaching the next U-20 World Cup in serious doubt.

The Super Falcons’ latest disappointment came shortly after their underwhelming WAFCON campaign. Nigeria entered the tournament as defending champions but suffered a shock 3-2 defeat to debutants Malawi before eventually losing 1-0 to Cameroon in the quarter-finals.

That result ended their title defence and sent them into the World Cup play-off route, where South Africa delivered the final blow.

Gusau still chasing another term

Despite the mounting criticism, Gusau is preparing to seek another four-year mandate.

The NFF’s Elective Congress is scheduled for September 27 in Lafia, Nasarawa State, where delegates will elect the federation’s Executive Committee for the next four years.

The election has consequently become a crucial test of whether dissatisfaction among supporters will translate into a change in leadership.

Former Nigeria captain Segun Odegbami has also challenged the electoral process, announcing plans to seek judicial clarification on the laws and regulations governing Nigerian football.

“Where we are now is the result of some faulty decisions at a point. Nothing illegal has happened. It is our choice,” Odegbami said.

He said his objective was to seek “interpretation,” “transparency” and “justice” and help “steady this sinking ship of Nigerian football.”

The election holds the key

Despite the public anger, calls for Gusau’s resignation do not automatically translate into his removal.

FIFA’s statutes require member associations to manage their affairs independently, meaning the NFF leadership must ultimately be challenged through the federation’s established governance and electoral structures.

That makes the September election particularly significant.

Shooting Stars Sporting Director Tobi Adepoju summed up the reality facing those demanding change on social media.

“The NFF election does not have voters on social media. Sadly,” he wrote.

Adepoju questioned whether Nigerian football has credible alternatives capable of taking over the running of the game and argued that meaningful reform would require stronger commitment from the government, state governors and football stakeholders.

“Who are the people with capacity that deserves to lead the football ecosystem? Do we have options better than what we have now? Are they interested in playing the football politics?” he asked.

With the Super Falcons’ World Cup dream over and Gusau seeking another term, Nigeria’s football crisis has moved beyond one painful defeat. The September election now presents the clearest opportunity for delegates to decide whether the current leadership deserves another four years.

“In politics across board, power is not given, power is taken through political strategies,” Adepoju concluded.