By Mark Baber
October 28 – Secretary General of FIFA, Jerome Valcke, has written to Amaju Pinnick, one of the two men claiming to be head of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF), to say that unless a court case seeking to annul the disputed September 30 NFF elections is withdrawn Nigeria will be suspended.
Pinnick, brought to power at the election, has been given until midday on Friday October 31, then the matter will be “brought to the attention of the appropriate FIFA bodies for a suspension of the NFF until the next FIFA Congress due to take place on 28 and 29 May 2015.”
In the letter, sent to the Nigerian Football Federation on Tuesday, Valcke reportedly says: “As stated in our previous letters dated 9 September 2014 and 2 October 2014, FIFA stressed that should the electoral process and the instalment of the newly elected NFF board be affected by any interference, the case would be brought to the attention of the appropriate FIFA bodies for a suspension of the NFF until the next FIFA Congress due to take place on 28 and 29 May 2015. The course of events as described in your correspondence clearly shows that interference has not ceased.
“Under these circumstances and in order to give Nigeria football a last opportunity to avoid a lengthy suspension, we inform you that if by midday October 31 Nigerian time we have not received proof that the case has definitively being withdrawn from court and that the board elected on September 30 2014 is able to carry out its activities without any hindrance, we will refer the case to the FIFA Emergency Committee for the implementation of suspension.
“We would like to underline the dire effects that a suspension will have on Nigeria football. It will for instance mean that no team from Nigeria of any sort (including club teams) can have any international sporting contact.”
The letter follows last week’s ruling by the Nigerian Federal Court in Jos which annulled the September 30 election of Amaju Pinnick because that election had been carried out in defiance of a court order.
The injunction had been granted as a result of legal action by two members of the previous NFF administration, led by Chris Giwa, who had taken power in disputed elections held on August 26.
The matter is due to be reconsidered by the court in Joss today (Wednesday). Unless the court goes back on its previous decisions, an accommodation will have to be found between Giwa and Pinnick before Friday which will see his case withdrawn, or Nigeria will face the prospect of being unable to defend their Africa Cup of Nations crown.
A glimmer of hope that a reconciliation maybe achievable came as Chris Giwa spoke to press saying that if the August 26 election was the problem, his faction were ready for a reconciliation that would lead to a fresh election.
“We have requested for a reconciliation and if that August 26 is the problem we are ready to go for a fresh election and whoever God gives the position we will support the person,” Giwa said.
The sticking point for Giwa is that new elections should be held in a neutral venue – not in Warri where Pinnick was elected, allegedly with the support of bribes from a local political figure.
According to Giwa: “We went to court to stop that election because we want reconciliation… we want peace. When we discovered that they wanted to hold the congress on the 20th, we approached the court with an ex parte motion and to God be the glory the court granted that plea but they disobeyed the order and still went ahead with the election on the 30th.”
Giwa’s statement opens the way for a resolution of the current impasse based on the Giwa faction withdrawing their case, the restoration of the September 30th Board and new elections involving both Pinnick and Giwa arranged at a neutral venue.
The issue has now attracted the interest of President Jonathan who is meeting with Amaju Pinnick. Ironically, high level government interference may be the best hope for Nigeria to avoid a FIFA ban for interference in the functioning of its football administration.
Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1734890904labto1734890904ofdlr1734890904owedi1734890904sni@r1734890904ebab.1734890904kram1734890904