Football
ESPN staff 10y

Nigeria will not face FIFA suspension after 'positive steps' taken

FIFA has confirmed that the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) will not face a suspension from international football after "positive steps" were taken to meet required conditions to combat government interference.

The international governing body of world football does not allow governments to interfere in football, and did not recognise the Aug. 26 elections that were overseen by the Nigerian sports ministry, which saw NFF president Aminu Maigari replaced with Chris Giwa.

Maigari was arrested on his return from the World Cup in Brazil in July and the NFF was being run then by a sports ministry-appointed official, leading FIFA to suspend Nigeria for nine days.

He was re-instated briefly, but was again detained by security forces and removed for the second time in two months while Giwa and others were elected to replace the NFF leadership, FIFA confirmed.

FIFA's ultimatum put Nigeria -- the current African champions -- at risk of being banned and having to forfeit an African Nations Cup qualifier against South Africa on Wednesday, and possibly its place at next year's continental championship.

However, that outcome looks to have been averted after NFF spokesman Ademola Olajire told The Associated Press that general secretary Musa Amadu and others were "back in the office" at the federation headquarters on Monday, with "The persons claiming to be elected at the congress on Aug. 26 are not around."

A statement on FIFA's official website (on Tuesday) read: "The NFF had been set a deadline of Sept. 8 to ensure that the persons claiming to have been elected to NFF positions vacated the association's premises and to confirm that the NFF General Secretary could perform his work without interference.

"In the meantime, FIFA has received a letter from the NFF with these assurances and with an explanation of the positive steps taken to normalise the situation.

"Responding to the NFF today, FIFA outlined that it now expects the NFF Executive Committee to meet as soon as possible in order to convene an extraordinary general assembly to decide on the roadmap leading to the elections, which should be open to all persons complying with the NFF statutes and regulations.

"FIFA also emphasised that should the electoral process be affected by any interference or mishap, the case would be referred to the appropriate FIFA bodies and that FIFA would monitor the situation as the NFF progresses towards the elections."

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.

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