Recently, world football governing body FIFA warned that it would not consult with any of the parties fighting for the leadership of Nigeria Football Federation [NFF] before throwing the country out of the game if it found that a third party had been meddling in the nation’s football affairs.
The Nigerian football community was jolted by a Supreme Court decision directing the parties fighting for the leadership of NFF to go back to the Jos High Court to sort out the suit filed by one of the parties claiming it is the right board to lead NFF.
A five-man panel of the court led by Chief Justice of Nigeria Justice Walter Onnoghen unanimously set aside the judgment of the Court of Appeal, Jos Division. The Appeal Court had earlier held that the case could no longer be relisted before the Federal High Court having been earlier withdrawn by the appellants. But the Supreme Court upheld the appellants, Chris Giwa’s contention that they could have the case re-listed before the trial court after their settlement talks broke down. It however rejected his plea to have the case heard and determined on its merit.
Giwa’s group took its case to the Supreme Court praying the apex court to set aside an earlier verdict by the Appeal Court affirming Pinnick as the right leader of the federation. Before then, a Jos High Court had ruled that Giwa, who was elected by a disputed NFF congress in Abuja in August 2014, was duly elected president of the body. Following the suit filed by the Giwa group, the world football governing body in 2016 banned all the parties involved in instituting the case, including Giwa, Muazu Suleiman, Effiong Johnson, Yahaya Adama and Sani Fema from all football related activities for five years.
The world body later extended the five-year ban to a worldwide ban following the Giwa group’s decision to take their case to the CAS.
Taking note of Supreme Court’s April 27 judgement referring the case back to the Federal High Court, to start afresh, we appreciate the reasoning of the apex court in refusing the prayers of the appellants, which if granted would have accorded them legitimacy, against the setting of an ongoing administration of Nigerian football which is at the cusp of taking Nigeria to the World Cup. We feel that the case, distractive as it was, ought not to have been instituted in the first place given the convention for resolution of football disputes.
Though the Supreme Court did the right thing in the circumstances, it must be told that the appellants have within the norms in sporting disputes, exhausted all legitimate channels in this matter, including arguing their position, and failing, at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, CAS. The convention internationally is that football matters should not be taken to civil courts. Instead, it’s taken to CAS as the appellants have already done in this matter without success. That ordinarily should have been the end of the matter.
Though the Supreme Court has ordered accelerated hearing on the suit against the Amaju Pinnick-led NFF executive committee, we urge the Giwa group to tarry a while. They should desist from instituting a fresh suit now and doing anything that would jeopardise Nigeria’s World Cup plans because any sanctions from FIFA will prevent Nigeria’s participation at the forthcoming World Cup in Russia.
Fears are that FIFA which suspended Nigeria when the case first came up in August 2014 and which led to its withdrawal by the appellants, may wield the big stick few weeks to the Mundial, barring Nigeria from the global showpiece in Russia. So, it is only fair that for now the two warring parties should pull themselves together and bury the hatchet to ensure the country’s successful outing at the World Cup. There is a time for everything, including wrangling for football’s leadership.
