FIFA Gives Nigeria, Ghana Ultimatums Or Face Bans Over “Undue Influence

Fifa has issued ultimatums to Nigeria and Ghana that they both face bans from global football for “undue influence” in the affairs of their governing bodies.

Nigeria’s ban could begin with immediate effect if the Nigeria Football Federation “offices are not handed back to the legitimate NFF executive committee under president Amaju Pinnick.”

The issues in Nigeria come after a recent court case recognised Chris Giwa, who is currently serving five-year ban by Fifa, as the NFF president.

Giwa has been protesting the result of elections held in September 2014 that saw Pinnick installed as NFF president.

The NFF are due to hold polls on 20 September as Pinnick’s four-year term is coming to an end.

The statement from Fifa added that any ban would not affect Nigeria’s ongoing participation at the Women’s Under-20 World Cup in France.

The Super Falconets are due to play Spain in the quarter-finals on Thursday.

A Ghana high court petition, brought by the attorney general to have the football association liquidated, must be withdrawn by the 27 August or a ban will be imposed.

The case came in the wake of widespread corruption allegations.

Football’s world governing body says this “constitutes an undue influence in the affairs of the GFA in contravention of Fifa statutes.”

The letter signed by Fifa secretary general Fatma Samoura added that “if the petition to start the liquidation process of the GFA is not withdrawn by Monday 27 August 2018 at 1100GMT the GFA will be suspended with immediate effect.”

The petition came in the wake of a film by controversial Ghanaian journalist Anas Aremayaw Anas that showed African match officials and former GFA president Kwesi Nyantakyi accepting cash gifts.

A global ban would put Ghana’s 2019 African Cup of Nations qualifier against Kenya on 8 September in doubt, Nigeria are due to travel to face Seychelles the same weekend.

Since the release of the film the Confederation of African Football has issued bans to many of the match officials shown on camera.

Nyantakyi resigned from his posts as GFA president and from the posts he held with Fifa and the Confederation of African Football (Caf). He denies any wrongdoing.

Fifa, suspended Nyantakyi for 90 days on 8 June but he has now left his role on the Fifa Council.

Caf has also announced that it will hold a vote at an Extraordinary Congress on “30 September 2018 in Egypt to fill the Caf 1st Vice-President function and the vacancy on the Fifa Council.”

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