The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) is facing internal disagreement over the decision to play an international friendly against Russia, a country currently under a FIFA ban.
Over the weekend, reports emerged that Russia—banned from FIFA and UEFA competitions since 2022—has scheduled friendly matches against Nigeria, Belarus, and Zambia in Moscow. The Russian Football Union (RFU) confirmed the fixtures in a statement, saying:
The Russian Football Union has reached agreements with the football federations of Zambia, Nigeria, and Belarus to hold friendly matches in the nearest FIFA windows. In March, Valery Karpin’s team will play against Zambia. The game will be held in Moscow, the exact time and place of the meeting will be announced later.
“On June 6, the Russian national team will play a home match with Nigeria, and on June 10, it will play away with the national team of Belarus. The venues and start times of the matches will be announced later.”
Why the Controversy?
FIFA and UEFA’s ban on Russia prevents the country from participating in official competitions such as the World Cup qualifiers and European Championships. While the ban does not explicitly prohibit friendly matches, some NFF board members are questioning the wisdom of agreeing to the game, especially when FIFA’s stance on such engagements remains unclear.
A senior NFF official, speaking anonymously to The Guardian, expressed shock at the federation’s decision, revealing that most board members only became aware of the arrangement three days ago.
“I don’t know how some people think… even if they are anticipating that FIFA will lift the ban, wouldn’t it have been better to wait for that to happen before agreeing to any friendly with Russia? It is unfortunate how decisions are sometimes made without considering the implications.”
With FIFA’s position on such matches uncertain, the NFF now finds itself at the center of a growing debate—should Nigeria proceed with the match or reconsider in light of potential consequences?
