Fifa cannot intimidate Nigeria – Onigbinde

The former Super Eagles trainer has urged the federal government to hands off the sponsorship of football in the country in order to let the NFF source for its own funds
By Shemmy Sholabomi
Former Fifa Advisor and member Fifa Study Group, Festus Adegboye Onigbinde has called the bluff of the football governing body for suspending Nigeria for government interference in football matters.
Fifa’s suspension came as it found the Nigerian government culpable in the appointment of an interim regime, after a court order evicted the previous board, that conveyed a congress “in violation of the NFF statutes”.
Onigbinde, however, disclosed that it was high time Nigeria made important decisions on the running of football.
“You don’t expect a government to invest huge sums of money in the running of football in Nigeria and still be handicapped in making some contributions to football in the country,” Onigbinde said.
“If Fifa doesn’t consider Nigerian government sponsorship of football and the huge sums of money in day to day running of the game, as well as sponsorship of national teams in world tournaments as government interference, but intervening as a result of court order to ensure peace and order as interference, then my advice is that the government of Nigeria should hands off entirely the finance and sponsorship of the game in the country.
“Let the administrators removed by the NFF Congress be reinstated and start sponsoring football all alone without the support of the Federal Government of Nigeria and see how effective and efficient it would be.
“If Fifa says we should bring them back, let’s bring them back and let them go and look for the money to run their affairs because giving them money will also amount to interference.
“What the Nation should do now is to sit down and restructure our football physically and technically.  What I expect the Nigerian government to tell Fifa is that they have let go and have left them to run the game without expecting their money. They should also tell the state governments who have been spending so much on football to hands off, same to the local governments to hands off.
“Government should not be offended by the stance of Fifa, they should take it to be that Fifa have taken away a load from them. And if tomorrow, we decide to bring ourselves together to call ourselves the Nigeria Soccer Association, at least that one is not under Fifa and if we decide to play among ourselves Fifa will not say we cannot play our football, they only said we cannot play among the Fifa member nations. And maybe for the next three years we can decide to be playing among ourselves, at least Fifa cannot arrest us for playing locally.
“And, while we are on break, we should be restructuring. For now the government should listen to Fifa and reinstate them for them to run their own football. They should not intimidate us by this suspension.
“If I were the minister I won’t be budged because football is dead both administratively and technically in the country and we need time to re-organize our football. If this suspension would help us to achieve this then let it be,” Onigbinde said.
Nigeria stand the risk of not participating at Fifa U20 Women’s World Cup in Canada next month.
The suspension could also affect the country’s participation in the qualifying series for the African Youth Championship as well as the Africa Cup of Nations.