By Mark Baber
September 8 – As the deadline for Chris Giwa (pictured) to give up his claim to have been elected President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) passed this morning, all eyes are on FIFA as to whether they implement their ultimatum to suspend Nigeria from world football.
FIFA told the NFF last week that it did not recognise the election of Giwa and the NFF Board had to be restored and new elections arranged if an automatic ban was to be averted.
If the ban comes into force today, Nigeria will probably not be able to play their Africa Cup of Nations qualifier on September 10 in South Africa and the Confederation of African Football has said that if that game is missed, Nigeria will be disqualified from the qualifying campaign.
A faction of the NFF has moved to reinstate the previous President and Board and arrange new elections in line with FIFA’s directive and this effort was supported by House Committee Chairman on Sports, Godfrey Gaya, who said Giwa should not be allowed to hold Nigeria to ransom, telling reporters, “The field must be opened to all eligible Nigerians who are interested to run for the post of the NFF presidency.”
“September 4 was the date earlier given to us by FIFA,” he added, “but the NFF could not meet that date, and now FIFA in its magnanimity has given us September 8 to organize ourselves, a situation that gave rise to a new date of September 25 picked for elections.”
Chris Giwa, speaking in Calabar as Nigeria surprisingly lost their first qualifying game repeated that he would not step down and that “anyone that is aggrieved has the right to appeal to the NFF Appeal’s Committee. If an Appeal Committee or the Court of Arbitration for Sport sits today and quashes my election, I will humbly vacate office.”
On Sunday, Ben Agary an assistant to Giwa, told reporters a case had been filed at the Court of Arbitration for Sports “to stop FIFA from interfering in Nigerian football affairs.”
According to Agary: “Delegates on behalf of Chris Giwa has taken the matter to CAS because that is the only recognised football court, he is waiting for them to decide and call FIFA to stop their ban threats, he’s the rightful President of the NFF so we will wait and see, they don’t have the power to ban us over internal crisis.”
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