Former Chairman of the NFF Technical Committee, Barrister Chris Green, has launched a blistering attack on the current leadership of the Nigeria Football Federation, accusing them of lacking the basic competence, technical knowledge, and administrative capacity required to run football in a serious nation.
Speaking with emotion and unmistakable frustration, Green said Nigeria’s repeated failures — including missing back-to-back FIFA World Cups — are not accidents, but the predictable outcome of installing people who do not possess the expertise or experience to manage a complex sport like football.
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“The people running our football today do not have the knowledge, do not have the exposure, and do not have the experience. That is why we are failing,” Green said, pulling no punches.
According to him, leadership positions within the federation have been reduced to political placements rather than merit-based appointments. He argued that individuals without the required competence have been allowed to shape policies, select coaches, manage national teams, and oversee technical decisions they barely understand.
Green lamented that the country has drifted far away from the era when serious football administrators with deep understanding of the game — including its business, technical demands, and development pathways — were in charge.
“Football is not a charity position. You cannot run it on sentiment. You need experts, not people learning on the job,” he insisted.
The outspoken sports lawyer warned that unless there is a structural overhaul of the NFF leadership, Nigeria will continue to spiral downward, no matter how talented the players may be.
He added that even the best coaches and strongest squads will fail under poor governance. “You cannot build success on incompetence. If the foundation is weak, the whole house will fall — and that is what we are seeing now,” he stressed.
Green urged the government and football stakeholders to prioritise knowledge and professionalism when choosing leaders for the federation, arguing that Nigerian football deserves far better than what it is currently getting.
His message was blunt and unfiltered:
“Until competent people run our football, Nigeria will keep failing — nothing will change.”
