Nigeria Football Association
Overview
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
in Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
. It was formally launched in 1945 and formed the first Nigerian national football team in 1949. It joined FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
and the CAF
Confederation of African Football
The Confederation of African Football is the administrative and controlling body for African association football.CAF represents the national football associations of Africa, runs continental, national, and club competitions, and controls the prize money, regulations and media rights to those...
in 1959. The NFF headquarters are in the city of Abuja
Abuja
Abuja is the capital city of Nigeria. It is located in the centre of Nigeria, within the Federal Capital Territory . Abuja is a planned city, and was built mainly in the 1980s. It officially became Nigeria's capital on 12 December 1991, replacing Lagos...
.
The Federation currently has a 'provisionally lifted' ban from all involvement in FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
sanctioned events.
As of 2008 it organises three leagues: The Nigerian Premier League
Nigerian Premier League
The Nigeria Premier League is the highest level of domestic Nigerian football. It is fed into by the two First Division groups: the Nigerian Division 1-A and Nigerian Division 1-B. It is organized by the Nigeria Football Association. The NPL Chairman is Davidson Owunmi.- History :The league was...
, the Amateur League
Nigeria Amateur League
National Amateur League Division One is the third level of club football in Nigeria, and the highest of the three Amateur league divisions. It is divided into four groups by geography with either nine, ten or eleven teams each. Every year, up to eight teams are promoted to the Professional...
and the Women's League, and five competitions, including the Federation Cup
Nigerian FA Cup
The Nigerian FA Cup is the main football single-elimination tournament in Nigeria. It was created in 1945 as the "Governor's Cup", succeeding the War Memorial Challenge Cup that had been limited to teams from Lagos.- Winners :War Memorial Challenge Cup*1942 : ZAC Bombers 1-0 Services*1943 : Lagos...
.
Author and Nigerian football historian Kunle Solaja has found evidence that the Nigerian Football Federation could have been formed in 1933 and not 1945 as previously thought.
Solaja cited two Nigerian Daily Times articles dated from 21 July and 21 August 1933.
