FIFA sanction: NFF sets up 4-man committee

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on Wednesday said it has started looking into the issues which led to Nigeria being sanctioned by world football ruling body FIFA.

The federation, in a statement by its Communications Department, said First Vice President Seyi Akinwunmi has been named head of a four-man panel to unravel the issues behind the slip.

FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee had on Tuesday announced that Nigeria was forfeiting the 2018 FIFA World Cup Africa Zone Final Qualifying Group B match against Algeria in Constantine played on Nov. 10.

The match which was both teams’ concluding match in the series had ended in a 1-1 draw, but FIFA on Tuesday awarded all three points to Algeria.

The match is declared to be forfeited and awarded 3-0 in favour of Algeria, with the NFF also receiving a fine of 6,000 Swiss Francs.

The world football ruling body had said this was as a result of Nigeria’s use of ineligible defender Shehu Abdullahi in the encounter.

Abdullahi who got fielded in the match ought to have served the automatic one-match suspension as a result of receiving a caution in two separate matches of the same competition.

The NFF said Executive Committee members Ibrahim Gusau and Felix Anyansi-Agwu are other members of the panel, with Mohammed Saidu, Chairman of Sokoto State Football Association, to serve as member/secretary.

“The Committee has two weeks to submit its report.

“It has the responsibility of thoroughly investigating how the slip came about and those who were responsible, recommend appropriate sanctions and also make other recommendations that will forestall this kind of error in the future,” NFF President Amaju Pinnick had said.

The statement disclosed that Pinnick’s comments were at an early morning meeting with NFF management and staff in Abuja on Wednesday.

Credit: News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)