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Tag: NFF crisis

  • Mark urges NFF to resolve crisis

    Mark urges NFF to resolve crisis

    Senate President, David Mark, has once again asked the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to resolve its crisis in the interest of the country and the sports loving Nigerians.

    Mark made the appeal at the opening session of the Senate plenary on Tuesday.

    The Senate President said that all those involved in the crisis rocking the football house should sheath their sword and place the country first.

    He noted that resolution of NFF crisis has become even more urgent in view of the FIFA threat looming over the country.

    He said, “All those involved in the NFF crisis should for the sake of the nation and for the sake of the football loving Nigerians resolve their crisis.

    “FIFA is threatening to ban us, we must not allow that to happen. Those involved should resolve their crisis and put the nation first in all they do.”

    Mark also congratulated the Super Falcons for winning the African Women’s Championship in Namibia.

     

  • Minister stops Maigari from office

    Minister stops Maigari from office

    The Controversial Sports Minister, Tamuno Danagogo, has again stopped the Nigeria Football Federation president, Aminu Maigari, from office.

    World football governing body has said Maigari and his secretary-general Musa Amadu must resume work this week after the federation’s office would have been vacated by Chris Giwa and his group, who claimed to have won a recent election.

    Amadu resumed work on Monday, while Maigari returned to his desk Tuesday.

    But Danagogo, whose poor handling of the impasse bedeviling Nigerian football has been condemned in several quarters, stirred more controversy on Tuesday when he said Maigari should not have returned to the Glass House.

    FIFA has asked Maigari to convene an executive committee meeting to set a date for the body’s general assembly as soon as possible.

    The global body has equally warned the country will be banned till its next congress in May 2015 should there be any hindrance to the NFF elections planned for this month.

    “I’m not aware that Maigari or whoever has resumed office. The secretary general Musa Amadu who I’m aware resumed office on Monday told me that he has been able to discharge his duties without any problem,” africanFootball.com  quoted  Danagogo as saying to journalists on Tuesday.

    “As at this morning (Tuesday) when Amadu spoke to me, he didn’t tell me any other person had reported to office.

    “I will not rely on hearsay until I get report from persons who are meant to brief me about that.

    “Before now, we advised all parties, Maigari group, Giwa group, or persons involved in the entire crisis to stay aside pending when issues are sorted out.”

    He claimed his directive was to avoid a fight between the groups.

  • Nigeria escapes FIFA’s ban

    Nigeria escapes FIFA’s ban

    FIFA has said Nigeria will no longer be suspended after the Nigeria Football Federation complied with its recent directive, africanFootball.com reports.

    However, the world football governing body warned it will suspend the country if there were hindrances into the NFF elections later this month.

    Nigeria would have been suspended from all football related activities had persons claiming to have won elections into the NFF executive committee remain at the federation’s office on Monday morning.

    But the NFF president, Aminu Maigari and several members of his executive committee returned to work on Tuesday afternoon.

    This was the after the General Secretary Musa Amadu and top management staff of the NFF returned to work on Monday with Amadu confirming that the crisis was over.

    “We note that you and the management of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) were able to return to office and work without hindrance,” africanFootball.com quoted FIFA Secretary General, Jerome Valke, as saying in a letter dated September 8.

    “We also note that the persons claiming to have been elected vacated the premises of the NFF.

    “Against this background, we would like to confirm that the conditions set in FIFA’s aforementioned correspondence of September 3, 2014 have been complied with and that the NFF is accordingly not suspended.”

    However, FIFA warned that should there be any hindrance to planned elections into the executive committee this month, Nigeria would be automatically suspended till the FIFA congress in May 2015.

    “We welcome the positive steps which contributed to the normalisation of the situation. We now wait for the NFF executive committee to meet as soon as possible in order to convene an extraordinary general assembly to decide on the roadmap leading to the elections which should be open to all persons complying with the NFF statutes and regulations.

    “These elections should also be organised as soon as possible under the NFF statutes and regulations.

    “We would inform you should the electoral process be affected by any interference or mishap, the case will be referred again – and without prior notice or warning – to the appropriate FIFA bodies for immediate suspension of the NFF until the next FIFA congress,” Valke added.

     

  • NFF leadership tussle shameful – Kanu

    NFF leadership tussle shameful – Kanu

    Two-time African Footballer of the Year, Nwankwo Kanu, has said those behind the leadership tussle rocking Nigeria ought to be ashamed of themselves.

    Chris Giwa has insisted he was voted as the new Nigeria Football Federation’s president and will not vacate the federation’s office despite a looming FIFA ban on the country.

    However, FIFA has maintained it do not recognise Giwa as president.

    “All those involved in this crisis have to be ashamed of themselves because they are really killing football in Nigeria,” africanFootball.com quoted Kanu as saying on the crisis rocking the country’s football.

    “There is no peace. Nobody understands what’s going on and the earlier this problem is solved, the better.”

    Some observers have even blamed the crisis for the Super Eagles 2-3 loss to Congo in Calabar.

    “The boys concentration was affected by the crisis as much as we do not wish to admit this,” said Eagles official Emmanuel Attah.

  • Giwa-led NFF illegal – Reps committee

    Giwa-led NFF illegal – Reps committee

    The House of Representatives Committee on Sports Wednesday declared the Chris Giwa-led Nigerian Football Federation as illegal.

    In a statement signed by Chairman of the Committee, Godfrey Gaya, the lawmakers, urged the NFF Congress “to meet soonest to decide a new road map and schedule an election that will allow all eligible Nigerians to participate freely and fairly.”

    This, according to the committee, “will usher in fresh air and sanity into the Nigeria Football House.”

    The Committee after a three-day consultation with the warring parties including the Minister of Sports, declared that “the agenda for Congress of August 26, 2014 was not elective as attested to by notice of NFF General Assembly issued by the General Secretary.

    “Since the August 26, 2014 Congress did not conform to NFF Statute/Regulation, the Committee urges all interested parties to have recourse to the advice contained in FIFA letter of September  3, 2014,” the statement said.

    FIFA had in the letter directed Giwa and other purportedly elected officials of the federation to vacate the Glass House latest on September 8 or the federation will be suspended.

     

  • NFF: Amadu threatened with arrest, Giwa files FIFA defence

    NFF: Amadu threatened with arrest, Giwa files FIFA defence

    The Nigeria Football Federation General Secretary, Musa Amadu, has again been threatened with arrest by security agencies if he fails to “co-operate” with the sports ministry bid to install Chris Giwa as president of the federation.

    However, Giwa has concluded plans to send his response to the World’s soccer governing body, FIFA, before Monday’s expiration of deadline given him to vacate the Glass House.

    Amadu was detained by the Directorate of State Security alongside the NFF president Aminu Maigari and the chairman of the federation’s technical committee, Chris Green, before last Tuesday’s  “kangaroo” election that produced Giwa as NFF president.

    Giwa had in a letter to FIFA said Tuesday’s elections were free and fair and as such the world football governing body should recognise him as the duly elected president of the federation, africanFootball.com reports.

    However, his defence will not be complete without the approval of Amadu, who was whisked to the congress venue by the Minister of Sports, Tamuno Danagogo.

    The factional NFF president, according to africanFootball.com, had said last Friday that his presentation will prove beyond reasonable doubt that his election received the full blessing of the 44-man congress.

    Findings however showed that only five bonafide members of the general assembly attended the meeting.

     

  • Reps summon security chiefs over Maigari’s detention

    Reps summon security chiefs over Maigari’s detention

    Nigeria’s top security chiefs have been asked by the House of Representatives to explain why Nigeria Football Federation president, Aminu Maigari was detained without any charges brought against him.

    Maigari’s detention stopped him from presiding over the NFF general assembly on Tuesday, africanFootball.com reports.

    However, the NFF president has said he would not to take any legal action for his unlawful arrest, saying God will remain his refuge.

    Several football stakeholders in Nigeria spoke at a Friday public hearing called by the House of Representatives to address the crisis.

    The chairman of the NFF technical committee, Chris Green, gave a graphic account of their harrowing experience at the anti-robbery squad cells in Abuja, where he and Maigari were kept on Tuesday.

    “It was a most dehumanising ordeal,” said Green, whose narration caused several of those attending the hearing to weep.

    Chairman of Nigeria Coaches’ Association, Bitrus Bewarang, equally produced a Plateau State White paper which indicted Chris Giwa.

    He closed his presentation by warning this revelation would put his life in danger.

  • NFF crisis: Players, managers boycott league

    NFF crisis: Players, managers boycott league

    Players and top club managers have joined a boycott of the Nigeria league just as the Nigeria Football Federation has insisted matches will be played this weekend.

    The League Management Company (LMC) announced the league has been postponed till further notice after the country’s referees said they will no longer handle matches until the crisis rocking Nigerian football is resolved.

    The country’s players’ union, APFON, has also directed its members to stay away from league matches till further notice, africanFootball.com reports.

    “The players union, after a thorough evaluation of the current situation in Nigeria football as a result of the kangaroo and purported election into the executive committee of the Nigeria Football Federation held on  August 26, 2014, that brought Chris Giwa as NFF president, the players’ union hereby directs all Nigeria footballers in the various leagues to boycott all league matches with immediate effect to protest the illegality of the purported elections,” africanFootball.com quoted APFON as saying in a statement signed by its president ,Dahiru Sadi.

    However, Chris Giwa, who claims to have been elected new NFF president on Tuesday, said matches slated for this weekend will go ahead.

    “It has come to our notice that the League Management Company has been issuing notices to clubs in the Premier League that matches are being suspended from this weekend,” said Giwa.

    “This is totally untrue. If the LMC received a notice from the Nigeria Referees Association about purported withdrawal of referees, the LMC should have brought this to the notice of the NFF and not to take a decision to suspend the league on its own.”

    He expressed his unhappiness with the NRA for the threat to withdraw referees from the Premier League and said the NFF would not take the matter lightly.

  • Jonathan meets Sports Minister over NFF crisis

    Jonathan meets Sports Minister over NFF crisis

    • Also to resolve Super Eagles’ crisis

    President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday met with the Sports Minister, Tamuno Danagogo, towards resolving the crisis engulfing the Nigerian Football Federation.

    The meeting behind closed doors at the Presidential Villa also aims to solve the problems in the Super Eagles.

    The NFF Chairman, Aminu Maigari was said to have been removed from office based on order of a court while the Super Eagles coach, Steven Keshi is been speculated to dump the team for the South African national team at the end of the World Cup in Brazil.

    Danagogo was said to have tabled the issues before the president.

    Towards resolving the crisis in the national team, it is said that the President may meet with the captain of the national team, Joseph Yobo and Keshi.