FIFA suspends Nigeria

Lagos/Abuja — The crisis in the Nigerian house of football reached its zenith yesterday with the world football ruling body, FIFA, finally taking the decision to suspend the country's football federation (NFF) with immediate effect.

NFF got the FIFA hammer "on account of government interference" in football matters.

FIFA said in a statement announcing the ban that elected members of NFF executive committee were prevented "from exercising their functions and duties".

Other actions and decisions, which infuriated the world football body included "the stepping down of the acting NFF General-Secretary on the instructions of the National Sports Commission, the decision of the minister of sports to have the Nigerian League start without relegation from the previous season and the fact that the NFF Executive Committee cannot work properly due to these interferences".

The suspension of Nigeria from all football matters would, however, cease, according to FIFA, the moment the country put its football house in order.

One of the ways listed by the global body in putting the house of football on the right path is for all court actions against football administration in the land to cease and the duly elected NFF executive committee placed in a position to work without any interference.

The suspension means Nigeria cannot participate in all FIFA-organized football activities. This means the country will not be represented in any regional, continental or international competitions.

It will also involve bans at club levels including international friendly matches, grassroots football relationship with any other country and friendly matches for any of the country's national teams with other countries.

"In addition, neither the NFF nor any of its members or officials can benefit from any development programme, course, or training from FIFA or CAF while the federation remains suspended," said the FIFA statement announcing the ban.

Nigeria had emerged the top issue on the agenda of FIFA's emergency committee meeting in Zurich.

The meeting was called to discuss the immediate and constant threats to the game of football among other issues.

The ban is the consequence of the decisions and events of the last few months in the country, beginning from the middle of June after the Super Eagles was knocked out from the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa.

After the Super Eagles' ouster, President Goodluck Jonathan placed a ban on the national teams from participating in international football for two years in order to plan and reorganise the sector.

The ban was greeted with public outcry from both within and outside the country and following a threat of a possible sanction by FIFA, the Federal Government rescinded the decision.

But this was followed by moves suspected to be anti-football such as the sacking of top members of the federation and the inauguration of a government appointed interim board to run football.

Meanwhile, the Acting Secretary-General of NFF, Dr. Emmanuel Ikpeme, has disclosed that the Super Eagles will not be disbanded as the team will step up its preparations for the Africa Cup of Nations match against Guinea billed for Conakry on Sunday.

Reacting to the ban, Ikpeme assured Nigerians that everything would be done to overturn the ban before Friday.

By its action, FIFA had insisted on the validity of the August 26 board election, adding that it recognized Aminu Maigari as the elected president of the board of Nigerian football.

The home-based national players have been preparing for the Guinea match under the watch of interim national coach Austin Eguavoen since last week, while some of the foreign-based players were due to start trickling into Abuja last night.

"We won't disband the team, because the issue raised by FIFA disciplinary committee could be resolved at the higher level before we head for Conakry. While you can't be too sure what will happen I remain positive. We will sort the issues out before Friday. We don't want o dampen the morale of the players by asking them to disband," Ikpeme said.

The senior national team is due to travel to Conakry on chartered flight on Saturday, while the U-20 team, the Flying Eagles, will host Mauritius next week in Abuja in the second leg of the African Youth Championship qualifier.

It won the first leg away from home 2-0 to put its hope of a place at the African championship billed for Libya on course.

Ikpeme said he was not shocked by FIFA's action as the reasons given by the international governing body were very clear as it is against football matters being subjected to civil court dispute.

Maigari and 27 other people standing trial were yesterday cleared of contempt charges by Justice Okon Efreti-Abang at the Federal High Court of Lagos.

The NFF election became a subject of litigation arising from an application by the National Association of Nigerian Footballers (NANF) on the two grounds that its representative was not recognized to occupy one of the NFF board slots and the failure of the board to conduct the state FA elections as most of the state chairmen had overstayed their terms.

FIFA felt offended by NANF's action which was in violation of FIFA's statute and had asked NFF to sanction the footballers' body.

But a source at the NFF said the federation could not take action against the Harrison Jalla-led body because it is not affiliated to the NFF.

This Day

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