Nigeria risks FIFA ban with Katiken’s appointment

Nigeria are again courting the wrath of football body, FIFA, after the government appointed a sole administrator for the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on Thursday, following the sack of the executive committee by a court.

Sports minister Tamuno Danagogo on Thursday appointed Lawrence Katiken to run the country’s football after a high court in Plateau State granted an injunction stopping elected NFF president, Aminu Maigari, his executive committee and the NFF congress from office.

This action is a direct interference by government in football, which FIFA frowns at and which has attracted its wrath often in the form of a worldwide ban. FIFA equally kicks against the use of law courts in resolving football matters.

The country was threatened with a FIFA ban in 2010 just after the Super Eagles crashed out of the 2010 World Cup hosted by South Africa, following the decision of federal government to withdraw the country from all international competitions for two years and as well sack the NFF management.

President Goodluck Jonathan would later rescind this decision. But later in 2010, the FIFA hammer finally fell on the country when top Nigeria FA officials were dragged before a court. The ban was only quashed when the court ruling was set aside.

Meanwhile, the Football Association (FA) chairmen of the country’s 36 states and the FCT met in Abuja on Friday, at the instance of newly-appointed NFF acting secretary-general, Lawrence Katken, to discuss the association’s board elections scheduled for August 2014.