Govt Withdraws Eagles’ Ban, Escapes Fifa Axe

Tunde Suleiman and Sufuyan Ojeifo|6 July 2010|This Day (Lagos)

Johannesburg, Abuja — President Goodluck Jonathan has reversed his decision banning Nigeria from participating in all Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) organized competitions in the next two years.

In the wake of the reversal of the ban, FIFA is no longer likely to suspend Nigeria since the reason for such an action no longer exists, though the world football governing body would formally meet on Nigeria today.

The lifting of the Eagles’ ban was the outcome of a meeting between President Jonathan and Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) following the sacking of three top officials of NFF.

A statement by Presidential Spokesperson Ima Niboro said the decision to lift the ban was consequent upon appeals by well-meaning Nigerians and assurances given by NFF that it would put its house in order.

Niboro said: “Based on these assurances and the appeals of well-meaning Nigerians, including former leaders, President Jonathan has decided to review the earlier two-year ban on the country from all international football competitions.”

According to him, “This review would enable other categories of Nigerian players participate in global football competitions, while a new senior national team is being developed.”

He said the President at the meeting also directed the Sports Minister Alhaji Isa Bio to call a meeting of all relevant stakeholders to resuscitate football academies and other talent spotting outlets to produce a new crop of footballers and other sportsmen for the country.

Niboro also said NFF had tendered unreserved apology to the President and Nigerian people on the dismal performance of the Super Eagles at the World Cup.

The NFF, he added, also informed the President of its decision to “disband the team and address the numerous shortcomings evident in the management of football in Nigeria .”

He said the federation assured the President of its commitment to “evolving an enduring football development programme and grow a new senior national team that will bring glory, rather than consistent embarrassment to Nigeria on the world stage.”

To achieve this, NFF, he stated, informed the President that it has as a first step proceeded to put its house in order by removing the former leadership and replacing it with an interim leadership.

President Jonathan last Thursday banned Nigerian teams from participating in all FIFA organised competitions for the next two years. The government also announced the dissolution of the NFF board.

The withdrawal of the country from international competitions immediately drew the ire of FIFA, which threatened to ban Nigeria for violating its statute that discourages government interference in the administration of football.

The Federal Government was given up to 6pm yesterday to rescind the decision while a member of FIFA executive, Dr. Amos Adamu, was dispatched to Abuja on a mediation shuttle to stave off the banning of Nigeria.

But NFF on Sunday took a pre-emptive action and announced the sack of three of its board members – the President, Sani Lulu, Vice-President, Amanze Uchegbulam and Head, Technical Committee, Taiwo Ogunjobi.

That sack is awaiting ratification of the NFF congress.

THISDAY had gathered that the Federal Government met with FIFA in Zurich, Switzerland, and at the ongoing World Cup in South Africa to impress upon it, the need to clean up the mess in NFF that retarded the development of the nation’s football teams.

But the newspaper learnt that FIFA executives rebuffed all entreaties from Nigeria, which argued that pervading corruption and the subversion of the statute setting up NFF needed urgent intervention.

FIFA was said to have told Nigerian officials that its action would amount to interference. The government also appraised FIFA with an unacceptable situation whereby NFF officials had fretted most of the states FA officials, who are expected to be delegates to its election while July 12, a day after the end of the World Cup was fixed as the deadline for the submission of application for the elections.

Meanwhile, FIFA President Sepp Blatter has confirmed that the football governing body would be meeting today to deliberate on the Nigerian situation.

However, Blatter, who disclosed this at the Sandton Con-vention Centre, Johannesburg, during the joint media event by FIFA and France Football, made this position known before word filtered out of Nigeria that the Federal Government had rescinded its decision to withdraw the national team and set up an interim management committee for NFF.

Blatter was responding to questions on what action the football body would be taking against Nigeria ahead of the original 5pm yesterday deadline given the Federal Government.

But responding, the FIFA boss explained that the organisation had extended the deadline by 24 hours and would now be meeting today to take a definitive action against the country.

Apparently, FIFA decided on the stay of execution following briefing it had received from Adamu who had been dispatched to Nigeria to meet government officials to see if an amicable solution could be worked out.

However, on Sunday night, some NFF Board members had taken the bull by the horn by removing its principal officers including its President.

The members not only apologised to the government, but also appealed for a reversal of the President’s action.

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