Hayatou: Nigeria Will Be Banned On Monday Confederation of African Football (Caf) President Issa Hayatou has warned Nigeria risk being banned by Fifa by Monday, if a court ruling that sacked the recently elected NFF Executive Committee is not thrashed. A Federal High Court in Jos passed a ruling which set aside the Fifa-approved Elective Congress of September 30, 2014, which produced Delta State FA Chairman Amaju Pinnick as President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). On Saturday in Windhoek, Namibia, Hayatou, at a meeting that had Nigerian sports minister Tammy Danagogo, Nigeria’s High Commissioner to Namibia, Ambassador Biodun Olorunfemi; Nigeria’s Deputy President of the CAF Appeal Board, Amanze Uchegbulam; CAF General Coordinator, Paul Bassey and CAF media committee member Aisha Falode in attendance, said the world football governing body are fed up with Nigeria’s unruly football administration. “I had to plead passionately with FIFA President, Mr. Sepp Blatter not to take action on Nigeria on Friday, because Nigeria was in the final of the African Women Championship and a ban on your country would have been bad for the competition and our sponsors.” Blatter said. “We all heard the news of the court ruling on Thursday, and the football world is angry with Nigeria. That is the truth. Issa Hayatou Says Fifa Wants Court Ruling Against NFF Vacated Before Monday. “The FIFA letter that came to your Federation before the elections of September 30 was very clear about an automatic suspension should there be any interference with the political process, and after the elections went ahead, we all thought you had settled your issues.” Hayatou warned there is no going back on automatic suspension this week if football matters are not withdrawn from court. “I appealed to FIFA to give until Monday for Nigeria to put its act together. After that, there is absolutely nothing I can do. It is all very disappointing because we have over 50 National Associations in Africa, but a big country like Nigeria is the one always giving us the biggest headache,” said a bitterly disappointed Hayatou. “Nigeria signed to be part of the football world by joining FIFA, and opted to abide by the FIFA –approved Statutes that you have. How many times do we have to tell your country that football matters are not taken to civil courts? “If Nigeria no longer wants to be part of the football world, then so be it.” NFF president Amaju Melvin Pinnick, who was, inexplicably, stopped by security operatives at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos on his way to Namibia on Friday night with the sports minister, monitored the meeting on phone.
Posted on: Sun, 26 Oct 2014 20:09:13 +0000