The Guild Of Sports Editors,the umbrella body for Sports Editors in Nigeria met in Lagos on Wednesday to review recent happenings in Nigerian football and resolved that there was need for government, at the highest level, to take action on the ‘shameful happenings’ in football management in the country.

The meeting was superintended by the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the group and Weekend Editor of the Vanguard newspapers, Mr Onochie Anibeze.

The group views with serious concern the way and manner Nigerian football has been riddled with crisis recently, which has tainted the image of the country.

“We view these issues as very unfortunate and we want to ask those concerned to put an immediate stop to it. We also call on President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, to use his good offices to intervene by calling not only his sports officers to order but also all the actors in the unfortunate and ridiculous show of shame in Abuja in the larger interest of the Nigerian people. The body stated this in its communiqué after the meeting.

The body is concerned that the ugly development has not only portrayed Nigeria in bad light but has also tainted the administration of President Gooluck Jonathan who has shown commitment in transforming Nigeria’s sports.

The statement jointly signed by the body’s President Tony Ubani and Secretary General, Dare Esan, says Nigeria has received enough insult from the international community and the idea of causing crisis after every World Cup year in Nigeria must stop forthwith.

The body says it is not unmindful of the fact that government sponsors sports,especially football in Nigeria and therefore wants the direct intervention of the president to ensure the elections fixed for the 4th of September to elect into office the new executive committee of the NFF are not only free but also fair.

The body also made it clear that while it was not taking sides with the sports ministry or the Football Federation, it was seeking justice and peace and thought that President Jonathan could act quickly to stop the detour to anarchy in Nigerian football nay sports.

“This is not time for the blame game but time to insist on international due process and the need to give all qualified candidates free opportunity to contest the coming NFF polls. We have had enough of this charade and those involved must consider national interests.

‘We also want the president to,as a matter of urgency, probe last week’s inferno at the NFF secretariat in Abuja and anybody or group of persons connected with the incident must be made to face the full wrath of the law especially in the face of information that the fire extinguishers at the secretariat expired since 2012 and there was no attempt to replace them.’