The Minister of Sports, Solomon Dalung has denied media reports that Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo has endorsed the Pinnick-led Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) board following FIFA’s threat to ban Nigeria indefinitely from its activities on Monday August 20, 2018 except Pinnick is given control of the federation.
FIFA had on Tuesday threatened to suspend Nigeria and Ghana football federations over government interference.
Nigeria will face the wrath of the world football governing body unless “the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) offices are not handed back to the legitimate NFF executive committee under President Amaju Melvin Pinnick,” a FIFA statement warned.
Recall that Osinbajo had a meeting with Dalung on Wednesday.
In a statement issued to newsmen, Dalung said though he met with the Vice President after the FEC meeting, the meeting had absolutely nothing to do with the NFF crisis.
He, however, described the report as hallucinatory and invented.
“A purported ‘breaking news’ being circulated by one Daniel Ator, a ‘government house correspondent’ is totally false and a figment of an imaginary government House correspondent,” the stamen reads.
“First of all, there is no correspondent in the Government House Chapel called Daniel Ator. Which media organization does he work for?
“At no time did Vice President Osinbajo, affirm government’s position on the NFF nor did President Mohammadu Buhari write any letter to the Attorney General of the Federation directing otherwise.
“It is a planted story and fake news. There was no directive from the VP countering the court order.
“However, the issue is still being handled by the Committee of NFF Elders Stakeholders. Therefore, we are hopeful that the parties in the crisis will be able to come to an amicable resolution of the issue. Nevertheless, the status quo remains.”
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