Nigeria will be banned from all soccer unless a court decision that sacked the country’s recently elected Football Association executives is not overturned by tomorrow, the sport’s world governing body FIFA said on Tuesday.
A leadership crisis has bedeviled the African champions for the past four months despite several interventions by FIFA, which has now warned that it will slap a lengthy ban on Nigeria if it does not comply with the ultimatum.
Last week, a group led by Chris Giwa secured a ruling from the Jos Federal High Court ruling that sacked the Nigerian Football Federation executive committee led by Amaju Pinnick.
Giwa, who maintains that he was elected federation president on Aug. 26 although FIFA refused to recognize it, took the matter to court in contravention of FIFA statutes forbidding soccer issues to be deliberated in a civil court.
However, FIFA secretary-general Jerome Valcke said in a letter to Pinnick, who was elected federation president on Sept. 30 that FIFA had extended the deadline for Nigeria to overturn the dismissal to tomorrow to give them a chance to avoid a lengthy ban.
“This gives Nigerian football a last opportunity to avoid a lengthy suspension,” Valcke’s letter read.
“We inform you that if by Friday 31 October 2014 at midday Nigerian time we have not received proof that the case has been definitively withdrawn from court and that the board elected on 30 September 2014 is able to carry out its activities without any hindrance, we will refer the case to the FIFA Emergency Committee for implementation of the suspension,” he added.
On Tuesday, it was revealed that Nigerian Minister for Sports Tammy Danagogo was locked in a meeting with Pinnick and the group led by Giwa in Abuja in a bid to avoid the ban.
The federation has also appealed the ruling and requested a stay of execution, which was to be heard yesterday in Jos.
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