Suspension Deadline: Federal Government And FIFA Reach Agreement...See Details

Posted by Thandiubani on Mon 20th Aug, 2018 - tori.ng

In a bid to avoid serious ban by FIFA, the Federal Government has reached an agreement on how to move Nigeria Football Federation ahead.

FIFA President, Gianni Infantino and President Muhammadu Buhari

The Federal Government has embraced a working agreement that will see the country’s soccer administrators accept the Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA’s) statutes for the smooth running of the game, The Nation has reported.

This is coming after the Federal Government on Saturday dispatched a letter to FIFA’s headquarters in Zurich, detailing the agreement reached between both bodies, making it imperative on the world soccer ruling body’s chieftains to drop the proposed sanctions on Nigeria from noon today, if the leadership of Amaju Pinnick is not allowed to do its jobs at the Glasshouse of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), following the legal tussle in the country’s polity.

The report further revealed that FIFA chieftains are impressed with the progress made in the negotiations with top government officials leading to the drafting of the letter from Nigeria and are ready to work with the country which is a key stakeholder in global soccer, especially the young Nigerians plying their trade in Europe and the Diaspora.

Not much was divulged to NationSport about the content of the FG letter except for the fact all our national teams and club sides are to prepare for their matches and win laurels for the country like they have been doing in the past.

FIFA had some time last month written a letter to the NFF and the Nigerian government, on the need to resolve the crisis in the federation, especially the trend of taking football matters to the civil courts, which the world soccer ruling body frowns on.

“In line with article. 16, paragraph. 1 of the FIFA Statutes, the Bureau of the FIFA Council decided that if by Monday, 20 August 2018, at 12:00 (CET), the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) offices are not handed back to the legitimate NFF executive committee under President Amaju Pinnick, who was duly elected on 30 September 2014, the NFF will be suspended with immediate effect for contravening art. 14 par. 1 i) and art. 19, as well as art. 14 par. 1 a) of the FIFA Statutes,” the FIFA statement said.

“The suspension would be lifted only once the NFF, under President Amaju Pinnick and General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi, confirms that it has been given back effective control of the NFF and its offices.”

“Furthermore, the Bureau decided that if the suspension of the NFF takes effect, the Nigerian team currently competing in the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup France 2018 will still be allowed to continue to participate in the tournament on an exceptional basis given that the tournament is underway.”