The NFF crisis

Nigerian Football Administrators do not seize to amuse and amaze me across board. They are easily swayed, lack principles, quick to criticize the leadership at the national, yet fail to implement any meaningful change in their various sporting Football Associations when given the opportunity. 

Except the likes of Mike Idoko at Ondo State and Amaju Pinnick in Delta State, most of our football sports administrators remain disillusioned depending on whatever crumbs they benefit from the Glass House for survival. 

The recent crisis in the Nigeria Football Federation is just as unfortunate as it is a national shame by some people obviously playing out the script being written by their high ranking supervisors. 

Last week, The Congress of the NFF unanimously endorsed the dissolution of the Aminu Maigari led board over the financial disputes that escalated between the Super Eagles and the Federation during the FIFA World Cup in Brazil. 

The Eagles we have learnt demanded for a share of the FIFA money as appearance fee at the World Cup which the federation was not prepared to pay as the unfortunate incident blew open on the ere of the Eagles round of sixteen fixture against France, leading to the players boycott of a training session in Brasilia. 

The so called extra-ordinary General Assembly of Nigerian Football held the board responsible fort he failure to fully and firmly resolved issues of finance with the Eagles ahead of the World Cup claiming that the shortcoming had caused the country an international embarrassment. 

Prior to this, another calamity had beckoned on the NFF as a Federal High Court order issued about a day or two after the loss to France dissolved the NFF board and management following a motion instituted by Mrs. Baribote. 

All these actions were carried out by the big wigs who should know the law better but were swayed by personal greed and selfish interest for a board they served in with outstanding results all through their tenure, to turn around and fight leadership days after the World Cup. 

For the records, the next NFF elections would hold in August this year and the same crisis which swept out Alhaji Sani Lulu and his board is being re-enacted with another set of impending court cases looming just like it happened in 2010 which almost crippled the football body? 

Today, regrets are high why the new sports minister has failed to resolve this issue amicably which has degenerated to its present international shame as FIFA has stated boldly that it would not be a party to whatever the hurriedly congress decides.
FIFA had given the country till last Tuesday to reverse the court order which is deemed as government interference in football matters as the country risks FIFA’s ban from all international football activities if FIFA overturns the position of the congress. 

The congress which removed Maigari is illegal and the beginning of the damage of the gains made by Nigerian football in the last four years beckons. 

I weep for former Sports Minister Bolaji Abdullahi, a man whose tenure saw revolutionary strides of successes with the national team as today, the unity in the glass house in which our football administrators must be removed. 

If the sports ministry and the National Sports Commission have stated that they were using the Jos Court Judgment to displace the present executive committee, then they have flouted the court order, because the court also said there should be no congress. One begins to wonder where they got the powers to appoint a sole administrator and sacked all management staff members as common sense seems to be disappeared in all these foolishness. 

Who has wished the Honourable Minister to execute this national shame? It involves the nation. 

Sani Maigari has been an excellent sports administrator all through his tenure, he has his limitations, but with about a month to the elections, all these side attractions are unhealthy for the growth of football in the country. 

Football is one of the vital sectors that has been thriving our great country and the unity it propagates makes it imperative that we must make it better rather than fighting ourselves and a common ground must be reached to resolve all this for the good of the country. 

To show that the Minister Tamuno Donagogo has not been adequately advised on this latest move FIFA also early last week declared the constitution of the Electoral and Appeals committees illegal in a letter addressed to the NFF. 

The implication of this development is that any election conducted by the committee other than the one constituted by the “sacked” NFF board is null and void in the eyes of FIFA. 

Our Football Association chairmen should know better that the International Football Federation recognizes only Maigari as the President of the board and has insisted on his re-installment. 

Minister Danagogo should please be informed that FIFA does not allow any government interference in football matters whatsoever and the state FA chairman who were present at the illegal conference were in a better position to inform him of the disadvantages which awaits the country and the blackout on our national teams from all FIFA competitions.  

We have failed consistently to learn from history where our sports administrators behave like overwhelmed leaders to force down our threats policies that are retrogressive and another waste of tax payers’ funds to organize the emergency briefing. 

If the sports administrators and minister are not satisfied with Maigari and his achievements, they should patiently wait to test another candidate’s popularity at the polls and not ensure that his tenure which has started on a not too convincing role will be swept away in controversies. 

While we do not support or identify with the Maigari led board and their short comings, it would be pertinent to appeal to let peace reign in Nigeria football and think of how we can proffer new solutions to our challenges in employing managers with technical competence to handle the senior national team. 

The on-going drama remains a shameless venture which should not be accepted and the recent FIFA ban remain another test on Nigerian football.