Nigeria heading for FIFA ban over interference

[mooksie]

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Nigeria is not backing down after sacking its entire national football federation leadership, ignoring a FIFA directive and moving closer to a ban from internationals for the reigning African champion. A weekend meeting of football and government officials in the capital Abuja endorsed the earlier sacking of Nigeria Football Federation President Aminu Maigari and his executive committee for not solving a player payment dispute during the World Cup. Officials said in a statement Sunday they were planning new elections.

World body FIFA, which doesn't allow governments to interfere in football affairs, said it would not recognize Saturday's meeting and has given Nigeria until Tuesday to reinstate Maigari or face sanctions. That would likely involve banning the country's national team and clubs from playing in continental or international tournaments, and could leave players like Chelsea's John Obi Mikel and Liverpool's Victor Moses frozen out of next year's African Cup in Morocco, where Nigeria is due to defend its title.

Maigari was also arrested on his return from the World Cup in Brazil and delegates at the emergency meeting said they blamed him for embarrassing Nigeria at the tournament by not resolving the bonus dispute.

Nigeria reached the second round for the first time since 1998 but had its campaign marred by the payment dispute, where players rebelled against the federation after not receiving their money for making the last 16 of the showcase. However, the continent's reputation was also badly damaged as Nigeria, Cameroon and Ghana all had their tournaments undermined by disputes between players and officials over money.

source.

ETA:

Nigeria have been banned for ALL international football amid allegations of government interference in its football federation

— SunSport Now (@SunSportNow) July 9, 2014