Nigeria Football Federation is again courting the wrath of the Federation of International Football Associations as it has again flouted the decision of the world football governing body as regards the present crisis which has engulfed the secretariat.
The world football governing body on Friday rejected the controversial election of August 26.
FIFA said in a letter addressed to the General Secretary of the NFF, Musa Amadu, and signed by Secretary General, Jerome Valcke, that the Giwa-led executives should vacate the office by the midnight of September 1.
“We will not recognise the outcome of the above mentioned elections and should there still be persons claiming to have been elected and occupying the NFF offices at midnight on Monday 1 September 2014, we will bring the case to the appropriate FIFA body for sanctions, which may include the suspension of the NFF,” the FIFA letter read.
FIFA also accepted the decision of the majority of the NFF congress made up of 39 of the 44 members, which set up an Electoral Committee and had fixed September 4 for the elections into the NFF executive committee.
“According to the facts reported to us, it appears that the vast majority of the NFF members decided to set the elections for 4 September 2014 and we consider this decision to be valid since it was taken by the highest decision-making body, the NFF general assembly, and conforms to what has been previously reported to FIFA,” the football governing body said.
The letter however, expressed FIFA’s reservations about the possibility of the election holding on the said date.
“In particular, we would like you to confirm that the date of 4 September 2014 will be met because the timing seems very short,” the letter added.
In response to an earlier letter to it by the outgoing president of the NFF, Aminu Maigari, that the federation would like a shift in the former date of August 26 for the election into its executive committee positions, FIFA had last week issued a letter stating its approval for the holding of a General Assembly congress on the said date to set up the Electoral and the Electoral Appeals Committees.
The federation had also said in the letter, which was signed by Deputy Secretary General, Markus Kattner, that the composition of the committees and the election should not exceed two weeks from the date of the congress.
However on Tuesday, officials of the Department of State Security whisked away Maigari and some other members of the NFF board.
The arrest led to the factionalisation of the congress members as majority of them stood by the president while a few others went for the congress which eventually led to the election of Chris Giwa as the new NFF president.
But on Wednesday after Maigari’s release, another Electoral Committee, which was set up by the NFF interim committee, set an election into the board of the NFF for September 4.
Chairman of the NFF interim committee, Ephraim Chukwuemeka, said that the electoral committee was the only one approved by the NFF and FIFA.
“Today this committee is put in place to replace the former committee that did everything in violation of the NFF statutes, the rule of FIFA and also in disobedience to the highest authority of this land represented by the Secretary to the Federal Government, who in a meeting told us to go and hold a congress to chart the way forward before the September 4 election date.
“I as the chairman of the interim committee as set up by the Congress hereby inaugurate this committee for a successful take off of their functions but I must remind you that you are expected to be very sincere in your dealings with members of the public that desire to buy forms, everything must be done so that we will have a level playing ground. I want to warn that nothing should be done against the statutes of the NFF and FIFA.
“Our actions are known to FIFA and they have advised us to do what we are doing,” Chukwuemeka said.
However, on Thursday, the Minister of Sports, Tammy Danagogo, who declared the Tuesday elective congress open, expressed his support for the Giwa led board of the NFF.
He said that the new board should explore all avenues of reconciliation with all parties involved.
The minister said, “For a long time now, the news that has been coming out of NFF have been unsavoury ones. We are not enjoying all these negative news. I want you to seek avenues to reconcile all institutions and individuals who must be reconciled. Personally, I will also meet with all persons who have issues and discuss with them and ensure that we have all have a united front to confront the challenges facing Nigerian football.”
Meanwhile, former FIFA technical committee member, Adegboye Onigbinde, said that the present crisis in the glasshouse and disregard for the FIFA rules as seen in Nigeria can fetch the country dire consequences.
Onigbinde, who spoke with our correspondent during the week, said, “Nobody can fault FIFA for insisting that its members abide by its rules. If FIFA rules have been breached at any point in the present crisis, we can only wait for its action because definitely FIFA will act.”
The ex-CAF technical committee member also believes that the national image of Nigeria is at stake in the present quagmire adding that Nigerian football is suffering from administrative deficiencies.
“We have done a lot of things that have dirtied the image of this country, especially in football, and which is very unfortunate, “he said.
“The problem of Nigerian football is administration. If we have good administrators, these things would be done without causing any confusion or problem for anybody.
“We still need to develop the sport in the country but definitely in all these; FIFA will always watch to see how things go. Let us wait and hear what they will say.”
Although the country is not new to such sanctions from FIFA, Onigbinde however said the risk Nigeria stands varies as regards the level of offence the country has committed and is guilty of.
The country may escape with a warning, a suspension or a lengthy ban as deemed fit by the action and reaction of the parties involved.
“There are various kinds of sanctions FIFA can take against those who flout its orders, the one it will take in this matter is still unknown, so we have to wait for it,” the ex-Super Eagles coach added.
Nigeria was recently suspended from international football activities by FIFA immediately after the World Cup in July because of the Maigari impeachment saga. The suspension, which almost put paid to the country’s participation at the just concluded U-20 Women’s World Cup in Canada, was only lifted after the reinstatement of the board as ordered by FIFA.
If Nigeria refuses to heed the body’s warning, the immediate consequence of a ban on would be that the African champions will forfeit two 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers fixed for September 6 against Congo in Calabar and September 10 against South Africa in Cape Town. Punch
