FG Intervene In NFF Crisis To Avert FIFA Ban

The presidency has taken steps to resolve the NFF crisis after security operatives reinstalled its suspended scribe to avoid FIFA ban.

Muhammed Sanusi has been reinstated as the Nigeria Football Federation secretary general following the intervention of the federal government to avert Fifa ban on the country.

The country’s football leadership crisis took a new twist when officials of the Department of State Service, DSS stormed the NFF headquarters in Abuja on the presidency’s directive, on Monday morning, thus, making it the third in the last three years the police will be storming the NFF facility – in bids to resolve the ongoing crisis that started in August 2014.

On July 2, factional leader Chris Giwa took over the NFF leadership following an order by the sports minister, Solomon Dalung, in compliance with a verdict from the Supreme Court.

Giwa’s faction had announced the appointment of Emmanuel Ikpeme as the new acting general secretary, which, by the latest action from the presidency, has been reversed.

Goal learnt that the DSS operatives had barred staff and members of the warring factions from gaining access into the secretariat, though later some NFF staff were allowed on proper identification, including Sanusi, the reinstated NFF general secretary.

It is understood that the intervention of the Nigerian government is coming on the heels of the latest threat from the world football governing body to ban Nigeria if the crisis continues without been resolved, and should Amaju Pinnick not be reinstated as NFF president.