Supporters Club petitions Tinubu over falling standard of Nigerian football 

Supporters Club petitions Tinubu over falling standard of Nigerian football 

More voices have been added to the list of Nigerians calling for the overhauling of the football structure in the country.

The latest is the Authentic Nigeria Football and Allied Sports Supporters Club (ANFASSC), who have petitioned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently save the game that binds Nigerians together from further destruction.

In the petition signed by the club's General Secretary, Tiamiyu Ayuba and copied the Chief of Staff to the President,  Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila and the Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Mallam Shehu Dikko, the club respectfully appeal to the President for "constructive engagement in charting a new, progressive course for Nigerian football".

"On behalf of the Authentic Nigeria Football and Allied Sports Supporters Club (ANFASSC), Nigeria's foremost supporters' organisation, recognised by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and endorsed by FIFA, we write to respectfully appeal to Mr President for constructive engagement in charting a new, progressive course for Nigerian football, a sport that remains one of the most powerful unifying forces in our national life.

"Nigerian football has, in recent years, experienced a sustained and deeply painful decline across almost every level of the game, and it is against this backdrop that we respectfully bring the following request before Mr President."

While the club fully recognise and respect the statutory autonomy of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) under FIFA and CAF statutes, which safeguard member associations from undue governmental interference, and they are not appealing to Mr President to override or interfere with that independence.

"Rather, we respectfully request the kind of engagement that only the highest office in our land can provide, specifically:

1. The convening of a structured, transparent, and solutions-driven dialogue between the Presidency, the National Sports Commission, the NFF, and recognised stakeholders such as ANFASSC;

2. That this dialogue be aimed at building a modern, well-governed, and competitive football ecosystem for Nigeria, anchored on partnership rather than confrontation; and

3. That Mr President's Office kindly indicate a timeframe within which this engagement may be convened, given the urgency of the challenges outlined below.

The ANFASSC noted that since the assumption of office by Amaju Pinnick as President of the NFF in October 2014, and through the tenure of his successor, Ibrahim Musa Gusau, who took office in October 2022, Nigerian football has experienced a sustained and deeply painful decline across almost every level of the game.

"Under the Pinnick administration, a team that had only recently won the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup fell into a pattern of underachievement, with the Super Eagles failing to qualify for both the 2015 and 2017 Africa Cup of Nations tournaments.

"This downward trend has, regrettably, continued and in many respects deepened under the current administration.

"Nigeria's U-23 team failed to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics, the CHAN Eagles missed out on the 2022 edition of their tournament, and the U-23 side also failed to qualify for the 2023 U-23 Africa Cup of Nations.

"The Flying Eagles were recently eliminated from 2027 AFCON qualification following defeat to Burkina Faso, while the nation's U-17 side failed to qualify for the 2025 Africa U-17 Cup of Nations and, by extension, the FIFA U-17 World Cup. 

"Most painfully, and for the first time in our nation's football history, both the Super Eagles and the Super Falcons will be absent from their respective FIFA World Cups in the same cycle, following the Super Eagles' elimination by DR Congo in the November 2025 African play-off final and the Super Falcons' failure to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup," the club lamented in the statement.

According to the club these outcomes have understandably drawn deep concern and disappointment from Nigerians at home and abroad, including former national team captains, respected football administrators, and the wider football community, all of whom recognise that a nation of Nigeria's footballing pedigree and population deserves far better.

"ANFASSC does not raise these concerns to assign blame but to responsibly highlight a pattern that calls for thoughtful, forward-looking intervention.

"We envision this engagement leading to renewed investment in grassroots and age-grade development, stronger technical and coaching structures, improved welfare for players and officials, and a governance framework built on transparency and accountability.

"ANFASSC, as a progressive and growth-oriented sporting institution, stands ready to serve as a constructive partner in this journey, lending our voice, our network, and our unwavering passion for Nigerian football to support any process that restores our national teams to their rightful place on the continent and the world stage."