World football governing body FIFA said it is yet to reach a decision on the future of the Nigeria Football Federation following the resignation of its president, Ibrahim Gusau, General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi and other members of the Executive Committee.

In a letter addressed to the deputy general secretary of the NFF, Emmanuel Ikpeme, on Monday, FIFA, alongside the Confederation of African Football, said they are currently assessing the legal, governance, administrative and electoral implications of the developments within the NFF before deciding on the next steps.

Gusau led the mass resignations from the NFF on Thursday, August 27, following mounting scrutiny over the performances of Nigeria’s national and youth teams, particularly the failure of the senior men’s and women’s teams to qualify for their respective World Cups.

The resignations came just days before the planned September 27 NFF election, with the National Sports Commission stepping in to implement President Bola Tinubu’s call for action to address what he described as “repeated failures.”

A Nigerian delegation led by NSC Chairman Shehu Dikko subsequently met with FIFA president, Gianni Infantino, and other key officials at the FIFA House in Zurich, Switzerland, on September 1.

According to the letter on the issue, FIFA said it had not reached a decision despite the various communications it had received from stakeholders in Nigeria.

“We refer to the various communications recently received by FIFA and CAF concerning developments within the Nigeria Football Federation, including the notifications relating to the resignation of the NFF President, members of the Executive Committee and the General Secretary, as well as additional correspondence received from other football stakeholders in Nigeria,” FIFA’s Chief Member Associations Officer Elkhan Mammadov said in the letter.

“We also refer to the meeting held at the Home of FIFA in Zurich on 1 September between FIFA, CAF, the NFF administration and representatives from the Federal Government of Nigeria, during which the current situation of the NFF was discussed. FIFA and CAF are currently assessing the legal, governance, administrative and electoral implications arising from the current circumstances within the NFF.

“This assessment requires a careful review of the relevant facts, the applicable NFF regulatory framework and the positions communicated by the various stakeholders concerned. At this stage, FIFA and CAF have not reached any conclusions regarding the matters under review and no determination has been made with respect to any potential next steps”, the international football body’s statement read.

The development puts the constitution of a normalisation committee on hold, with FIFA and CAF yet to determine the appropriate course of action.

Ikpeme, who was endorsed by the NSC as the acting General Secretary of the NFF, was, however, addressed by FIFA as the Deputy General Secretary in its correspondence and directed him to serve as the primary point of contact between the NFF, FIFA and CAF until further notice.

FIFA also directed the suspension of the planned September 27 elections, stressing that the decision did not validate any of the current circumstances within the NFF but was necessary to allow FIFA and CAF to complete their assessment and engage with the relevant stakeholders.

As part of the process, FIFA and CAF delegations will visit Abuja to meet with the NFF, members of the Congress, the NFF electoral bodies and the National Sports Commission.

“The mission will allow FIFA and CAF to better understand the circumstances surrounding the recent developments within the NFF, the views of the various stakeholders and any issues that may require further consideration under the applicable FIFA, CAF and NFF regulatory framework.

“Following completion of this assessment process, FIFA and CAF will determine whether any recommendations or proposals should be submitted to the competent decision-making bodies within FIFA and CAF in accordance with their respective Statutes and regulations.

“Until such time, the outcome of the assessment remains open, and no assumptions should be made as to any action that FIFA and CAF may or may not take”, FIFA concluded.

American hurdler Masai Russell claimed the Diamond League title in the women’s 100m hurdles after clocking a meet record of 12.20 seconds at the Brussels final on Saturday, with Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan settling for fourth place.

Amusan finished in 12.

The race had been billed as one of the highlights of the Diamond League finale, with Russell competing for the first time since taking the world record away from Amusan.

Russell had run 12.09 seconds in Zurich to lower the Nigerian’s previous mark by three-hundredths of a second, becoming the first woman to break the 12-second barrier in the event.

Bahamas world indoor champion Charlton and Dutch hurdler Nadine Visser were also expected to challenge for victory, alongside Amusan, who was determined to reclaim her place at the top of the event.

Amusan had warmed up for the final with victory at the Grand Prix Brescia in Italy on August 31, clocking 12.56 seconds despite a stiff headwind to finish ahead of American hurdler Alaysha Johnson and Jamaica’s Ackera Nugent.

That result came days after Russell’s world record run in Zurich, where the American finished ahead of Amusan, who placed second in a season’s best of 12.23 seconds.

The Nigerian, who is a three-time Diamond League champion, having previously won the title in 2021, 2022 and 2023, had held the world record for four years after running 12.12 seconds in the semi-finals of the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Oregon. She went on to win that final in 12.06 seconds, though the time did not count as a world record because of an excessive tailwind.

The 100m hurdles was one of several standout events at the Diamond League finale in Brussels, which also featured Olympic champions and world record holders across the programme, with automatic qualification for next week’s 10 million dollar World Athletics Ultimate Championship on offer to winners of events contested at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship.

Nigeria’s Inkosi Brou has won the 2026 FIE Satellite Sabre Viking Cup in Iceland, adding another international medal to the country’s fencing record.

The one-day tournament took place on Sunday at the Fencing Sabre Center in Laugardal, Reykjavik.

The competition was hosted by the Icelandic Fencing Federation and sanctioned by the International Fencing Federation (FIE).

Brou, who missed the August Commonwealth Championships in Lagos, entered the tournament as its highest-ranked fencer.

The 18-year-old overcame opponents from Portugal, the United Arab Emirates, Italy, the Netherlands and Ecuador.

He also defeated competitors from Sweden, the Czech Republic, Jamaica, Hong Kong, Australia, Great Britain and host Iceland.

Brou began his campaign in the round of 16, where he defeated Hamid Al Maazmi of the UAE 15-4.

He continued his impressive run with a 15-11 quarter-final victory over Sweden’s Kenneth Kong.

In the semi-final, Brou defeated Czech Republic’s Lumir Kral, the tournament’s No. 4 seed, 15-12 to reach the final.

The Nigerian then faced Iceland’s Andri Maateev in the final, competing before a partisan home crowd.

In spite of the home support for his opponent, Brou remained composed and delivered a dominant 15-6 victory to secure the title.

The victory marks Brou’s third international medal and further underlines his emergence as Nigeria’s leading fencing prospect.

Brou won Nigeria’s first global fencing medal, a silver, at the 2024 World Tournoi Satellite Cup, also held in Reykjavik.

He added another medal in 2025, winning bronze at the African Junior Championships in Angola.

Brou is currently Nigeria’s highest-ranked fencer globally.

He trains at the Scarsdale Fencing Center and the Peter Westbrook Foundation in the United States.

The latest triumph strengthens Brou’s ambition to make further history for Nigeria on the international fencing stage.

Brou is targeting qualification for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, where he hopes to become Nigeria’s first Olympic fencer.

His Viking Cup triumph provides another significant boost as he pursues that historic Olympic ambition.