. Supreme Court gives notice for ruling on NFF leadership

By George Aluo

Nigeria Football Federation may just be next in line for the FIFA hammer to fall after Sudan and Guinea were banned from all international football activities and this follows the impending court ruling expected to be delivered by the Supreme Court over the leadership battle for the soul of Nigeria football.

A ruling against the incumbent NFF in the renewed crisis over the leadership of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Nigeria may not realise its ambition of hoisting its flags at the Russia 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Daily Sunsports gathered that last Monday, the Supreme Court gave the NFF, led by Amaju Pinnick, and followers of a claimant to the federation’s presidency, Chris Giwa, notice to await further directives on when it would deliver judgment on the suit between the parties.

It could be recalled that Nigerian football had been embroiled in a leadership tussle since 2014 when two boards emerged after elections for positions vacated by the Alhaji Aminu Maigari-led board.

  The competing claims had been tested at various levels of the court, High Court, Appeal Court and now the Supreme Court.

  The case, which resulted in FIFA and international sports arbitration body, CAS, banning Giwa from all football activities for dragging football issues to civil court, resurfaced just a few days after Sudanese clubs were thrown out of international football, including the CAF Champions League and Confederation Cup, because agents of its government allegedly interfered with its football administration.

  As things stand, Nigeria may be stopped from playing its remaining World Cup qualifiers against Cameroun (two matches), Zambia and Algeria if the apex court sacks the NFF leadership.

A source, who pleaded anonymity, told journalists yesterday that there were rumours that a top government official was behind the renewed court battles.

  “The case was to be heard in December, but the NFF was shocked when it was notified on Friday to be at the courts last Monday.

“It is strange that the NFF, an interested party, only got to hear of the court session on Friday from a third party. People should think of the country’s interest in all these,” he said.

FIFA at the weekend banned Sudan and Guinea from all its activities following alleged government interference in the administration of their football. And the same fate may befall Nigeria if the renewed court battle over NFF leadership is allowed to affect the administration of the game.