NANF Withdraws Case From Court

The National Association of Nigerian Footballers (NANF) on Monday withdrew its case against the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) which sought the nullification of the Aug. 26 elections to the association’s board.

Mr Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court, who ruled on Sept. 6 that there was no election on Aug. 26 in Abuja, struck out the case in compliance with the decision of both NANF and NFA to settle their dispute out of court.

In his ruling, Abang granted NANF’s relief seeking to withdraw the case from court but did not vacate his earlier ruling on the matter that there was no election on August 26.

He said he could not grant any other request as NANF’s counsel, Aideloje Belo, did not seek any other relief from the court.

Tidesports source  reports that NANF had gone to court seeking the nullification of the Aug. 26 election to the NFA board after the association’s congress ignored a court order restraining the election from holding.

Abang had ruled that nobody should parade themselves as elected members of the NFA board.

The world soccer body, FIFA, suspended Nigeria from all football-related matters on Oct. 4, citing government interference and the court case among other reasons.

The ban was temporarily lifted on Oct. 8 to enable the country to honour an African Nations

Cup qualifier date with Guinea on Oct. 10 following talks during which the NANF pledged to withdraw its case from court.

Reacting to Monday’s court ruling, NANF President Harrison Jalla said his association had carried out their part of the bargain by withdrawing the case from court.

“The application we filed is to withdraw the matter and the request has been granted by the court.

“We have followed the script accordingly and the judge has struck out the matter.

“We must at all times respect the laws of our land and still remain a respectable affiliate of FIFA,” Jalla said.

Christopher Green, Chairman of the Rivers FA, who participated in the August 26 poll in Abuja, admitted that the NANF’s relief did not include the vacation of Abang’s ruling of September 6 nullifying the election.

“This means that the NFA board cannot act; I foresee more problems ahead for our football,” Green said.

NANF’s counsel Belo told Tidesports source that he had carried out his client’s instructions.

“The counsel to the opposition did not act in concert with us to resolve this matter the way we had proposed.

“They did not file their proposed notice of appeal which would have stayed the nullification order handed down by the judge on Sept. 6.

“Until that order is vacated by the court we cannot have anybody parading himself as the NFA board,” Belo said.