Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on Monday night dispatched a letter to Zurich, the headquarters of the Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) to keep the leadership abreast of the recent developments in Nigerian football.
The letter was dispatched ahead of FIFA’s deadline which expired yesterday. The world soccer ruling body had threatened to refer Nigeria’s case to its disciplinary committee for appropriate sanctions should Nigeria fail to reinstate the Aminu Maigari-led executive board latest by Tuesday, June 8, 2014.
The letter sent to FIFA detailed the process leading to the convening of the extra-ordinary congress that dissolved the Maigari-led board last Saturday.
According to the letter, NFF posited that the congress was summoned in line with its statues.
It was also learnt that another letter was written, detailing corruption charges being leveled against the NFF president, Aminu Maigari, that compelled the operatives of the Department of State Service (DSS) to invite him for questioning on arrival from Brazil.
Specifically, Nigerian government wants Maigari to account for N2. 6bn released to him for the 2014 World Cup tournament, the N2.8 bn left in the Federation coffers by his predecessor, Sani Lulu Abdullahi, as well as hundreds of millions of naira he received as monthly allocation from government.
The letter also reminded FIFA leadership that the tenure of Maigari’s board expires in August, assuring that the NFF would conduct fresh election in line with the NFF and FIFA statues to usher in a new executive board.
Apart from the letter, a powerful Federal Government delegation which included Dr.Amos Adamu is also billed to meet with the leadership of FIFA to reassure it that government would not interfere in the running of football but was only concerned with gross misappropriation of public funds.
It will be recalled that FIFA had in a letter signed by secretary general, Jerome Valcke, described the recent developments in Nigerian football as “very worrisome and an undue interference”.
Valcke, said the World football ruling body noted the court order restraining him and the executive from running Nigerian football, the appointment of an acting secretary general; as well as an extra-ordinary congress conveyed for Saturday.
FIFA reiterated its resolve not to recognise “any person or organ not elected in compliance with the NFF Statues (article 17, par 2 and 3 of FIFA statues) and, therefore, will not consider the appointment made by the minister of sports.”
The letter reads in part: “Additionally, we will not recognise any decision taken by the above mentioned extra-ordinary congress which will be considered null and void.
“An elective congress has been duly conveyed by the NFF for August, 26, 2014 and only decisions, persons elected then will be considered legitimate.
“We ask that you respectfully inform the relevant authorities that if the aforementioned NFF officials are not fully reinstated by Tuesday, July 8, 2014, we will have no choice but to refer the case to the appropriate FIFA organ for sanctions, including the suspension of the NFF”.
Meanwhile, a member of the dissolved executive board who attended the extra-ordinary congress allayed the fears that the congress contravened FIFA statues, saying it was convened and conducted in line with the NFF statues.
According to the source, who is also chairman of a State Football Association, “some of my colleagues who are state chairmen made terrible mistakes by keeping away from the congress that was properly conveyed.
“Some of them sent their secretaries; some sent representatives forgetting that once a state FA send representative, he or she automatically becomes a delegate and any decision taken will be bidding on such state that sent representative.
“So, it is funny that some of them are now saying they were not part of the meeting when they actually sent representatives”.
It will be recalled that the extra-ordinary congress in dissolving the NFF executive board, accused Maigari, of secrecy in the finances of the federation.
