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Nigeria’s National Sport Commission will head to FIFA in March hopping that FIFA chief Sepp Blatter will address the crisis in the country’s Football Federation.
In January, a federal high court in Abuja dissolved the football federation (NFF) and Premier League (NPL). The court declared that only the Nigeria Football League (NFL) and the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) have the legal authority to operate.
The NFA became the NFF in 2009, but failed to register the change properly. This is why the Nigerian law is refusing to recognise the NFF as the national body governing the country’s football. Nigeria’s sports commission has now stepped in to set up a meeting with FIFA.
“I can confirm that the sports commission plans to meet with the FIFA president on March 15 in Zurich to discuss this situation,” Tony Ohaeri, spokesman for the sports commission, told BBC Sport. “There is a need to meet with FIFA to explain the situation concerning the Nigeria Football Association and the Nigeria Football Federation. The NSC representatives will travel to Switzerland for this important meeting, and hopefully there will be a solution to the path to follow.”
Days after the initial ruling by the federal high court in Abuja, the NFF filed an appeal as well as a motion for a stay of execution of the judgement pending appeal. On Monday, the court adjourned the hearing on the stay of execution until 19 April. According to Akin Olujimi, counsel to the NFF, the body will continue to operate on the basis that they followed due process in filing the appeal. “We will argue the case on 19 April, but what the law says is that my clients can go about their jobs,” he explained.
Nigeria’s Super Eagles are trying to revive their flagging fortunes after their failure to qualify for this month’s African Cup of Nations.
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