A panel of former internationals and administrators has been tasked with getting to the bottom of a difficult few weeks for Nigerian football’s national teams.
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The Nigeria Football Federation has set up a fact-finding committee to investigate the recent poor showings of the country’s national teams, with particular attention on the Super Falcons’ failure to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, Complete Sports reports.
Nigeria, ten-time African champions and holders of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations title, were eliminated in the WAFCON 2026 quarter finals in Morocco before losing 2-1 to South Africa in the intercontinental play off that decided the country’s World Cup fate. The result means the Super Falcons, who had featured at every World Cup since the tournament’s 1991 inception, will be absent from the 2027 finals in Brazil for the first time.
Flying Eagles Also Under The Microscope
The committee’s mandate extends beyond the Super Falcons. Nigeria’s Flying Eagles also endured continental disappointment, failing to qualify for the 2027 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations after a 4-1 defeat to Burkina Faso in the final of the WAFU B U-20 Championship.
Who Sits On The Panel
Former NFF General Secretary Ambassador Fanny Amun will chair the committee. He is joined by former Nigeria Under-20 head coach and Nigeria Football Coaches Association president Ladan Bosso, former Super Falcons captain and multiple WAFCON winner Desire Oparanozie, former Super Eagles captain and AFCON winner Mutiu Adepoju, and former FIFA referee Dr Alex Mana. Sokoto State Football Association chairman Mallam Mohammed Nasiru Sa’idu will serve as secretary.
| Name | Role On Committee | Background |
|---|---|---|
| Ambassador Fanny Amun | Chairman | Former NFF General Secretary |
| Ladan Bosso | Member | Former Nigeria U-20 head coach; NFCA president |
| Desire Oparanozie | Member | Former Super Falcons captain, WAFCON winner |
| Mutiu Adepoju | Member | Former Super Eagles captain, AFCON winner |
| Dr Alex Mana | Member | Former FIFA referee |
| Mallam Nasiru Sa’idu | Secretary | Sokoto State FA chairman |
📌 Did You Know?
- The Super Falcons’ World Cup miss ends a streak stretching back to the tournament’s very first edition, hosted in China in 1991.
- Desire Oparanozie, now a committee member, previously featured for Nigeria at the 2015 and 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cups during her playing career.
- Mutiu Adepoju was part of Nigeria’s squad that won the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations and represented the Super Eagles at two FIFA World Cups.
- The NFF has separately apologised to President Bola Tinubu and Nigerians over the WAFCON setback, alongside setting up this committee.
- Nigeria’s Flying Eagles missing out on the 2027 U-20 AFCON adds to a difficult stretch across multiple national team age groups this year.
- Committee chairman Fanny Amun previously served in NFF administrative leadership during an earlier period of Nigerian football governance.
- This is not the first time the NFF has convened a fact finding or review panel following major tournament disappointments, reflecting a recurring pattern in how the federation responds to setbacks.
