Chief Chris Giwa, President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), has said that FIFA, world soccer governing body, has not communicated its ban threat to the NFF.
Speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Jos, Giwa said, “The alleged FIFA ban threat is a creation of the media; FIFA has not written to lodge any complaint to us. We only read all these things in the media”.
Giwa had assumed office as NFF President following an ex-parte order issued to him by the Jos Federal High Court with a recent Supreme Court ruling asking the parties to return to the lower court.
With the apex court’s ruling, Giwa recently assumed office, replacing Amaju Pinnick, his rival in the battle for the control of Nigeria’s football body.
Pinnick represented the nation’s football leadership at the just-concluded 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
Irked by the developments in the nation’s football leadership, FIFA President Gianni Infantino recently threatened to ban Nigeria from all FIFA-organised events, if the confusion continued.
Infantino specifically said that FIFA would not condone interference in the administration of the game, adding that the world body only recognises Pinnick as the NFF President.
Reacting to the FIFA threat, Giwa described it as a “mere fallacy orchestrated by the press”.
“As I speak with you, FIFA has not made any inquiry to ascertain what could be going on here.
“Nobody has called me from FIFA to explain anything. So, I assume that if FIFA has made any statement, it may be based on hearsay because we have not been contacted.
“I did not take myself to where I am now; there was an election and there was a litigation on which the Nigerian judiciary made a pronouncement.
“I am not the judiciary. I only went there to seek for justice. So, we have a system in Nigeria. Anyone with any grievance against that system must go through the same system to ventilate his concerns.”
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