Nigeria’s deadline day to escape FIFA hammer

Nigeria has been dangling with a possible hammer from FIFA and if issues regarding football federation are not resolved by latest midnight today, it will be dire than anticipated.

Last week, a Federal High Court ruling in Jos, nullified the elections that brought Amaju Pinnick to power as the president of the Nigeria Football Federation.

Chris Giwa, factional NFF boss, got a court injunction that ruled against the NFF executives; he wants to take control as the NFF president.

The NFF filed for a stay of execution, with the court going to make a decision today, the truth is that the outcome could further stoke the fire or quench it.

This is neither the first time, nor the third that world football governing, FIFA has had to deal with the unending drama coming from Nigeria football house in the last three months.

In fact, it took the intervention of Issa Hayatou, president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), to plead to FIFA not to ban Nigeria last weekend.

Hayatou had to plead with FIFA to tarry until this week, to buy Nigeria some time, but most importantly the saving grace was the Super Falcons, who were in the finals of the African Women’s Championship in Namibia.

It would have been a bad PR for CAF and the continent, if Nigeria did not play the finals that they qualified for.

Initially the plan was to give Nigeria until this Monday to sort its house or be banned for good.

Although FIFA on Tuesday issued Nigeria with a final warning to withdraw the court cases against the NFF or be sanctioned.

According to a letter from FIFA, the suit must be withdrawn otherwise Nigeria’s case will be referred to the FIFA Emergency Committee for immediate suspension.

The football governing body also directed Nigeria to reinstate the Amaju Pinnick-led Executive Committee of the Nigeria Football Federation by midday on Friday or risk a lengthy suspension.

According to a letter from Jerome Valcke, FIFA secretary general, the civil suit must be withdrawn by Friday otherwise Nigeria’s case will be referred to the FIFA Emergency Committee for the immediate suspension of the NFF from its activities.

Nigeria have been given until Friday to sort out a legal battles involving the country’s football federation (NFF) in what FIFA described as a “last opportunity to avoid a lengthy suspension.”

Valcke said that FIFA has demanded that the court order, which nullified the September 30 election into the NFF, board and directed that the case be withdrawn forthwith.

Justice Ambrose Allagoa of a Federal High Court in Jos, last week Wednesday nullified the election that ushered in the Amaju Pinnick-led board and ordered Chris Giwa back to office as NFF boss.

But, FIFA is insisting that it will not recognise Chris Giwa as NFF president.

“We can confirm that FIFA has been informed by the NFF about the order granted by the Federal High Court nullifying the NFF elections… and that some persons claiming to have been legitimately elected previously went to occupy the offices of the NFF,” said FIFA in a statement.

“We also have been informed that security forces prevented the NFF president from travelling to Namibia where he was supposed to represent the NFF at the final match of the African Women’s Championship.”

Should NFF be suspended, the case will not be revisited until May 2015 during the FIFA congress.

This means that Nigeria will be unable to participate at the Africa Cup of Nations and other youth football events.

If FIFA bans Nigeria, the suspension will not be lifted until May 2015 when the congress will be held.

Also, the Super Eagles will not be able to play their two remaining matches s in the 2015 African Nations Cup qualifiers next month.

Nigeria’s Flying Eagles will not take part in the 2015 African U-20 Championship in Senegal, tournament, which will see the semi-finalists, qualify to participate in the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup.

Lastly, the Golden Eaglets will not take part in the African U-17 Championship in Niger, which is a tournament to qualify for the FIFA U-17 World Cup, which they are the defending champions.

We hope that all the worrying factions bury their differences in the interest of growth of Nigerian Football, and also for the sake of our national teams that will be taking part in soccer competitions.

Anthony Nlebem