Osinbajo Meets Dalung, Pinnick Over FIFA Ban Threat
The acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, on Wednesday met behind closed doors with the Minister of Sports, Solomon Dalung, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The meeting was held inside Osinbajo’s office shortly after the weekly meeting of the Federal Executive Council.
The President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Amaju Pinnick, had earlier met with Osinbajo before the commencement of the FEC meeting.
Our correspondent learnt that meetings followed Tuesday’s threat by the world football governing body, Federation of International Football Association, to suspend the country from world football on Monday over the alleged government interference in the leadership crisis at the Nigerian Football Federation.
FIFA also threatened to suspend Ghana over the dissolution of the Ghana Football Association by the government over the corruption scandal involving the suspended GFA president Kwesi Nyantaki.
Pinnick, who won the September 30, 2014 NFF presidential election in Warri, has been locked in a battle with Chris Giwa, who won the August 26, 2014 poll in Abuja, over the control of Nigerian football.
In a statement on their website, FIFA warned that Nigeria would be suspended if “the Nigeria Football Federation offices are not handed back to the legitimate NFF executive committee under Amaju Pinnick, who was duly elected on September 30, 2014.”
The statement added, “The NFF will be suspended with immediate effect for contravening art. 14 par. 1 i) and art. 19, as well as art. 14 par. 1 a) of the FIFA Statutes. The suspension would be lifted only once the NFF, under Pinnick and General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi, confirms that it has been given back effective control of the NFF and its offices.”
Sources said the Federal Government is not happy with the development and has moved to resolve the crisis.
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