NANF Chides FIFA Over Recognition

The National Association of Nigerian Footballers (NANF) has said that FIFA should not refer to it as an illegal body because it is recognised by the laws of the country.

The President of NANF, Harrison Jalla, made the assertion while reacting to Wednesday’s letter by FIFA to the Nigeria Football Association (NFA), which said that the world football governing body did not recognise NANF.

The FIFA letter also warned the NFA that it might face sanctions if NANF won its legal battle against it over elections into its board.

Jalla told Tidesports source recently in Lagos that NANF had the right to operate in the country without let or hindrance.

“Nobody can declare us an illegal body. We are not operating in Zurich but in Nigeria where we operate under a law that recognises our right as a legal entity,” he said.

He said that contrary to FIFA’s assertion, NANF was not responsible for all the suits the NFA had in court now.

“The NFA has 22 matters in court and NANF was not responsible for them; we only have one matter in court with the national football governing body.

“What we are clamoring for is for the right things to be done in our football and not the charade we have as football administrators,” Jalla said.

The Tide  reports that NANF had gone to court last August to stop the elections into the board of the NFA from holding because of perceived illegalities in the NFA electoral statute.

Following the action instituted by NANF, Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court, Lagos, nullified the Aug. 26 elections of the NFA on Sept. 6.

The nullification eventually led to Nigeria being banned by FIFA because of the matter in court which contravened FIFA’s rules on football disputes.

It took the intervention of football stakeholders in the country for the matter to be settled out of court before FIFA rescinded the ban on Nigeria.

But NANF recently went back to relist the matter for the court to address its earlier grievances.