Elumelu backs NFF fact-finding committee amid national-team crisis

Former Nigeria Football Federation Technical Committee member Austel Elumelu has supported the NFF’s decision to create a six-member fact-finding committee. The panel, chaired by former Nigeria international Ambassador Fanny Amun, will examine the setbacks affecting Nigeria’s national teams and propose remedies.

Elumelu sees the committee as an important admission that the federation needs a new assessment of the problems. He believes the inquiry should examine the deeper causes of Nigeria’s repeated disappointments instead of treating each failure as a separate incident.

Nigeria’s Super Eagles failed to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, while the Super Falcons missed the 2027 Women’s World Cup for the first time in their history. The country’s U-20 men’s team also endured a heavy defeat by Burkina Faso in the WAFU-B final.

Those outcomes have increased scrutiny of the structures, preparation and administration surrounding the national teams. Elumelu considers the pattern of setbacks sufficient reason for a broad review of how the teams are managed and supported.

He also believes the committee’s work will only be useful if it operates independently and receives the resources and institutional backing needed to complete its assignment. In his view, the NFF and other football stakeholders must be prepared to consider the findings seriously.

Amun brings experience from several areas of Nigerian football. He previously worked as an assistant coach of the Super Eagles and served on earlier national sports committees. Amun and Elumelu have also collaborated on sports-related initiatives in the past.

The committee’s eventual impact will depend on the strength of its recommendations and whether the football authorities implement them. Elumelu’s endorsement comes as debate continues over the direction and organisation of Nigeria’s national teams.