World’s football governing body, FIFA, has said it will invoke sanctions on Nigeria if the country does not reinstate latest by July 8, 2014 the sacked President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Alhaji Aminu Maigari.
FIFA, in a letter by its Secretary General, Jerome Valcke, addressed to Maigari, said the sack of Maigari and the appointment of an Acting Secretary General to run the affairs of the Nigerian football house by the Minister of Sports, Dr. Tammy Danagogo, runs contrary to the rules governing the operations of football federations.
Valcke said not only will FIFA fail to recognise the new body put in place by Danagogo, it could also go ahead to sanction Nigeria.
Such sanction, he said, could include suspension.
In the letter dated July 4, 2014 and obtained by The Eagle Online on Friday, the world’s football governing body said it was aware that court processes had been served on Maigari and the members of the Executive Board of the NFF sequel to the case filed by the Proprietor of Nembe FC, Ebiakpo Rumson Baribote, and that an injunction had been granted.
It also said it was aware of the arrest and quizzing of Maigari on Friday by operatives of the Department of State Service.
It said it was also aware that an extraordinary meeting of the NFF had been scheduled for July 5 (tomorrow).
FIFA said it was in this regard that it was warning the football authorities in Nigeria to take notice of the statutes of FIFA that all federations must be allowed to run its affairs independently.
Valcke quoted Article 13, paragraph 1 and Article 17, paragraph 1, which made it mandatory that no one must interfere in the running of football matters.
FIFA said it will not recognise the new set up in the NFF and could go the whole hog by sanctioning Nigeria.
It said this would be done by referring the case to its appropriate organs.
Suspending Nigeria, FIFA said, could include the isolation of the country’s national teams and its football clubs from all competitions organised by it and its affiliate.
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