NFF vs NFA Who blinks first?
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- Written by Orkula Shaagee
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Less than six months after the dust caused by the sack of three former NFF principal officers and the election of new board had settled down, this group which crave for a new direction in Nigeria’s football administration says it has concluded plans to inaugurate a parallel governing body to administer the game in the country. As usual with issues of such nature, there were deluge of reactions from football followers within and outside the country.
While those in favour of the new move hailed it as the best way of repositioning football administration, those against it, described the step as “unnecessary distraction” capable truncating Nigeria’s rising football profile which has received a boost of late.
But defending the position of the group, Ahmed Gara Gombe says their action was to bridge the exiting gap in the administration of football in the country, as there is no body legally recognized to run football in Nigeria at the moment.
He noted that the NFF is an illegal body that can no longer preside over the affairs of the nation’s football.
Consequently, Gombe, urged the National Assembly to stop allocating funds to the Aminu Maigari-led NFF in the name of the Nigeria Football Association to fund football activities.
“As it is, there is no institution to run football in Nigeria today. The NFA Act 2004 amended as Decree 101 is the only one recognized by law to run football in this country. But surprisingly, the Federation’s lawyer recently during a court case by National Association of Nigerian Footballers (NANF) said there was no basis for including it in the case because it is the NFF and not NFA.
“But as I am talking to you, the National Assembly has not made any such law recognizing the NFF. Therefore, it is illegal for anyone to be collecting money in the name of the NFA; so we are stepping in since FIFA does not allow for vacuum”, Gombe stated.
It is true that the existence of the Nigeria Football Federation has no legal backing, as the National Assembly is yet to repeal the existing Decree 101, which still allows government to fund football programmes and activities in the country.
On the international arena, the Federation is recognized by FIFA, as it is being administered by a body established under FIFA statutes.
It will be recalled that the creation of NFF was the making of the then Congress of Nigeria Football, hence the present NFF Executive Committee led by Aminu Maigari as President cannot be crucified for a crime not committed by it.
Reacting to the issue, the NFF dismissed in totality the grounds on which the group intends to set up a parallel football governing body.
NFF General Secretary, Barrister Musa Amadu, said that the Federation had alerted all security agencies in the land against this move that threatens public order and tranquillity, said they were building castles in the air.
Amadu accused the group of attempting to disrupt Nigeria’s programmes and preparations for so many competitions, including the Super Eagles’ high-profile international friendly match against Argentina and the Super Eagles’ clash with Ethiopia on 5th June in a 2012 African Cup of Nations qualifier.
On their part, world football governing body, FIFA also reacted swiftly, condemning the moves and describing the new board as illegal.
FIFA Deputy Secretary General Markus Kattner said it will not recognize the new board as it is only out to hamper the work of the legitimate football ruling body in Nigeria.
Former Super Eagles player Davidson Owumi, who was removed as Nigeria Premier League (NPL) Chairman by the present NFF leadership, said he would not speak more on the issue, noted that football administration is dead in Nigeria, as the so-called administrators are not interested in developing the sport in the country.
“Are there football administrators in Nigeria? I don’t think there is one. How can you justify that when the local league is been run without a sponsor?” he queried.
However, many observers have decried the course being taken by this group in removing an ineffective leadership in the Glass House. This new move to unseat the Maigari-led NFF is widely seen as a usurpation of the powers and functions of the Congress of Nigerian Football.
The battle line has been drawn and both parties are holding on to their guns as at the time of going to press yesterday. But who blinks first?
It’s rather too early in the day to insinuate the likely outcome of this power tussle, but the days ahead promise to be explosive and melodramatic even as it would take a lot of brinkmanship to resolve the issues.
In the main time, however, the casualty will be Nigerian football, which faces imminent suspension by FIFA as early as next week.
Articles
NFF vs NFA Who blinks first?
Category: Sports Written by Orkula Shaagee Hits: 875
Fresh crisis is looming in Nigerian football, as dirty politics and what seems to be a clash of interest is threatening to impede the development of the game. The emergence of a shadowy group which choose to call itself by the name “Nigeria Football Association” has opened up a new vista in the classical struggle for power in our national sport. This group represented by an eight-man interim committee, namely, Mr. Jarret Tenebe; Ahmed Gara-Gombe, Emmanuel Okala (MON), Chikelue Iloenyosi, Chief Samson Akiga, Alhaji Sani Usman, Tajudeen Disu and Dr. Felix Owolabi have declared the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) an illegal body and called for its immediate dissolution.Less than six months after the dust caused by the sack of three former NFF principal officers and the election of new board had settled down, this group which crave for a new direction in Nigeria’s football administration says it has concluded plans to inaugurate a parallel governing body to administer the game in the country. As usual with issues of such nature, there were deluge of reactions from football followers within and outside the country.
While those in favour of the new move hailed it as the best way of repositioning football administration, those against it, described the step as “unnecessary distraction” capable truncating Nigeria’s rising football profile which has received a boost of late.
But defending the position of the group, Ahmed Gara Gombe says their action was to bridge the exiting gap in the administration of football in the country, as there is no body legally recognized to run football in Nigeria at the moment.
He noted that the NFF is an illegal body that can no longer preside over the affairs of the nation’s football.
Consequently, Gombe, urged the National Assembly to stop allocating funds to the Aminu Maigari-led NFF in the name of the Nigeria Football Association to fund football activities.
“As it is, there is no institution to run football in Nigeria today. The NFA Act 2004 amended as Decree 101 is the only one recognized by law to run football in this country. But surprisingly, the Federation’s lawyer recently during a court case by National Association of Nigerian Footballers (NANF) said there was no basis for including it in the case because it is the NFF and not NFA.
“But as I am talking to you, the National Assembly has not made any such law recognizing the NFF. Therefore, it is illegal for anyone to be collecting money in the name of the NFA; so we are stepping in since FIFA does not allow for vacuum”, Gombe stated.
It is true that the existence of the Nigeria Football Federation has no legal backing, as the National Assembly is yet to repeal the existing Decree 101, which still allows government to fund football programmes and activities in the country.
On the international arena, the Federation is recognized by FIFA, as it is being administered by a body established under FIFA statutes.
It will be recalled that the creation of NFF was the making of the then Congress of Nigeria Football, hence the present NFF Executive Committee led by Aminu Maigari as President cannot be crucified for a crime not committed by it.
Reacting to the issue, the NFF dismissed in totality the grounds on which the group intends to set up a parallel football governing body.
NFF General Secretary, Barrister Musa Amadu, said that the Federation had alerted all security agencies in the land against this move that threatens public order and tranquillity, said they were building castles in the air.
Amadu accused the group of attempting to disrupt Nigeria’s programmes and preparations for so many competitions, including the Super Eagles’ high-profile international friendly match against Argentina and the Super Eagles’ clash with Ethiopia on 5th June in a 2012 African Cup of Nations qualifier.
On their part, world football governing body, FIFA also reacted swiftly, condemning the moves and describing the new board as illegal.
FIFA Deputy Secretary General Markus Kattner said it will not recognize the new board as it is only out to hamper the work of the legitimate football ruling body in Nigeria.
Former Super Eagles player Davidson Owumi, who was removed as Nigeria Premier League (NPL) Chairman by the present NFF leadership, said he would not speak more on the issue, noted that football administration is dead in Nigeria, as the so-called administrators are not interested in developing the sport in the country.
“Are there football administrators in Nigeria? I don’t think there is one. How can you justify that when the local league is been run without a sponsor?” he queried.
However, many observers have decried the course being taken by this group in removing an ineffective leadership in the Glass House. This new move to unseat the Maigari-led NFF is widely seen as a usurpation of the powers and functions of the Congress of Nigerian Football.
The battle line has been drawn and both parties are holding on to their guns as at the time of going to press yesterday. But who blinks first?
It’s rather too early in the day to insinuate the likely outcome of this power tussle, but the days ahead promise to be explosive and melodramatic even as it would take a lot of brinkmanship to resolve the issues.
In the main time, however, the casualty will be Nigerian football, which faces imminent suspension by FIFA as early as next week.