BY ONOCHIE ANIBEZE
All former sports ministers who  delved into football politics and made trips to fifa’s Zurich office in bids to display might over elected football officials ended up embarrassing themselves and the country.

It was against this background that former NFA scribe and one time member House of Representatives Yerima Ahmed Sani Toro cried out yesterday when he learnt  that the  new sports minister Bolaji Abdullahi is planning a trip to Zurich to settle  problems emanating from a court judgment that declared that Nigerian law recognised NFA and not NFF.

Toro

A congress of Football Association in Markurdi changed the name from NFA to NFF and the bill to regularise this is before the National Assembly now. Many other sports associations in Nigeria had since changed to ‘federeations.’ Decree 101 of 1991 empowered the sports ministry to supervise NFA and the ministry would lose overwhelming authority over football if NFA became NFF or any other name other than the one recognised by the Decree.

But since NFF still collects monetary allocation from Federal Government some measure of authority over NFF cannot be ruled out. But it appears the ministry is angling for total authority over NFF and the court judgment seems to have created a window for power show. But football is run by statutes endorsed by FIFA which encourages disputes to be settled by courts of arbitration.

Toro said yesterday that “ the new minister is being misled and will end up like others before him if he does not retrace his steps.”

The minister, we gathered, has ordered the NFF to write to FIFA informing them that he will be visiting Zurich on February 21. The minister wants to visit with four ministry officials. He has asked NFF to select two of their officials for the trip.

”From all indications, they are misleading the minister. There’s no need to rush to FIFA for what we can settle here. It’s embarrassing because it gives us out as people who cannot manage their affairs. It’s not even good for the minister,” Toro lamented.

FIFA makes it clear they abhor government interference in football administration and this they told past Nigerian sports minister who tried to muscle the football association. Few ministers like later Anthony Ikazoboh, Emeka Omeruah and Shola Rhodes who were knowledgeable in sports administration exercised authority over NFA without the flexing of muscles that has become common in the recent past.

The minister had said that the football problem was political and that he would seek a peaceful  political solution but warned that if that failed he would take drastic measures. Toro maintains that solution can be reached without incurring the wrath of fifa.

Former Referees’ Association chairman, Dr Sam Sam Jaja had challenged his disqualification from league board election and joined NFF. His grouse was mainly with NPL but the issue of his disqualification does not longer interest the authorities but who controls or runs NFF. Going by their records and position FIFA may not be indifferent to the Nigerian story come February 21 if the minister insists on the trip