Austin Jay-Jay Okocha Responds to Rumours He Applied to Be NFF President
- Super Eagles legend Austin Jay-Jay Okocha has responded to the rumours that he wants to be the next NFF president
- Current President Ibrahim Musa Gusau has about a year left of his single-term tenure after replacing Amaju Pinnick
- There have been calls to overhaul the federation amid the failure of the Super Eagles to qualify for the World Cup
Super Eagles legend Austin Jay-Jay Okocha has responded to the rumours that he wants to be the next President of the Nigeria Football Federation.
Nigerians have expressed displeasure with the board of the NFF amid reports of the national teams being owed their entitlements dating back years.
Source: Getty Images
The Super Falcons, who were victorious at the 2025 Women's Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, were reportedly owed up to $10,000 in bonuses per person before the tournament.
Shortly after the Super Eagles played a 1-1 draw against South Africa, which dealt a blow to their World Cup chances, BBC Sport reported that the players are owed allowances.
These and many other irregularities in the handling of the national team are reasons that Nigerians have been calling for the overhauling of the board, particularly having an ex-international in charge.
Okocha responds to NFF presidency rumours
Austin Jay-Jay Okocha is one of the names being mentioned to be in the running for the presidency to replace Ibrahim Gusau ahead of next year's election.
Gusau is entering the final year of his four-year tenure after replacing former president Amaju Pinnick on September 30, 2022.
Jay-Jay Okocha took to his Instagram page to debunk the rumours that he wants to be the next president of the federation.
“Hello everyone, I just want to use this opportunity to say that the news and posts that have been circulating are false, I have not said or spoken to anyone about Nigerian football or any interest in becoming NFF president,” the statement reads.
“I'm currently in Kigali attending SPORTSBIZAFRICA, so I'm pleading with the people spreading false information to stop.
“I appreciate my people and understand the frustration we're going through, but be rest assured that better days are ahead, let's keep believing. I know that it is not easy but we are all in it together, God bless and please let's stay strong.”
Source: Getty Images
As noted by Brila, the NFF’s official match report after the 1-1 draw against South Africa singled out Cyriel Dessers for criticism over his performance.
This was one of the things that led to agitations from fans that such an incident would never happen if an ex-international were in charge of the federation.
Sunday Oliseh calls for overhauling of NFF
Legit.ng reported that Sunday Oliseh called for the overhauling of the board of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) if Super Eagles fail to qualify for the World Cup.
The former Super Eagles captain claimed that missing out on the World Cup sets a country’s football back by eight years, and doing it twice is a disaster.
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Source: Legit.ng
