Leadership dispute at SFF as Omar Mahmoud Nur named acting president

A faction of the Somali Football Federation (SFF) Congress has appointed Omar Mahmoud Nur, popularly known as Mugaanbe, as the acting president, further escalating an already fragile leadership dispute within the country’s football governing body.

The appointment follows a controversial move by the SFF Electoral Committee, which officially recognized the minutes of an extraordinary congress convened by a breakaway group of federation officials on June 21, 2025.

In a statement, the Electoral Committee said: “The Committee confirms that the extraordinary congress held on June 21, 2025 was convened in accordance with the required procedures and statutory provisions. The Congress met quorum and followed due process.”

During the session, the splinter group passed a vote of no confidence in current SFF President Ali Abdi Mohammed, widely known as Al Shino, citing governance concerns and alleged mismanagement.

According to the breakaway faction, an Interim Executive Committee—led by Nur—will oversee the federation's activities and organize a fresh Electoral Congress within nine months, in line with the SFF's statutes.

The latest development threatens to deepen the crisis within the federation, marking the second time in just three years that SFF has been rocked by internal power struggles.

In 2022, Al Shino himself rose to power following similar turmoil. He was appointed after a vote ousted then-president Abdigani Said Arab, also during an extraordinary congress.

That episode nearly drew sanctions from FIFA, which at the time warned of possible suspension over governance violations and political interference.

The conflict at the time brought concerns on the potential impact on national teams, including the Somalia U-20 squad's participation in upcoming continental tournaments such as the Africa Cup of Nations.

It remains to be seen how SFF’s international affiliates FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) will respond to this latest upheaval, particularly given their emphasis on institutional stability and due process within member associations.