Bunmi Ogunyale
Embattled Super Eagles’ head coach, Salisu Yusuf may appeal against the one-year ban from all football-related activities slammed on him by the Nigeria Football Federation Committee on Ethics and Fair Play.
Yusuf, who was also fined the sum of $5,000 can approach the NFF Appeals Committee for further fight his case.
On Wednesday, the Ethic and Fair Play Committee placed a one –year ban on Yusuf, following its consideration of a complaint by the NFF as well as the Coach’s defence of a video documentary in which he was seen to accept the sum of $1,000 from an undercover reporter posing as a player’s agent.
In its report submitted to the NFF Secretariat on Tuesday, the Committee, chaired by Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, said it established from the admission of Coach Salisu Yusuf and also found as a fact from the documentary and video evidence before it, that he accepted the cash gift of $1,000 offered by Tigers Player’s Agency, an undercover reporter, purportedly interested in acting on behalf of Players Osas Okoro and Rabiu Ali, for their inclusion in the list of players for 2018 CHAN Competition in Morocco.
The Committee found as a fact that it was not an error of judgment on the part of Coach Salisu Yusuf but a conscious and deliberate decision to have accepted the cash gift of $1,000 from the decoy player agent/undercover reporter, purportedly interested in acting on behalf of Players Osas Okoro and Rabiu Ali, even though the evidence before the Committee did not establish that his conduct influenced the choice of the two players.
Committee’s decision:
“In accordance with Art. 22, FIFA Disciplinary Code, he is hereby banned for the period of one year, from partaking or involvement or participation in any football related activity, effective from the date of this decision.
He is also fined in the sum of $5,000 to be paid within three (3) months of the date of this decision…”