FIFA LETTER: NFF CHIEFS TO SUE FOR DEFAMATION

Executive Committee members of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), have reacted angrily to news making the rounds that it forged a FIFA letter and therefore should be committed to prison for the offence.

Sources close to the NFF President, Aminu Maigari and Technical Committee boss, Chris Green, who were both invited last week by the police following allegations say that they have been able to secure another letter from FIFA, confirming the fact that the original letter was from FIFA.

Green, who is a trained lawyer was particularly bitter, declaring that it was unimaginable that he could forge a letter of a body as globally recognized as FIFA. He called on the Police high command to get to the root of the matter and if there was no forgery those who made the allegations should be charged for character defamation and false allegation.

'We're shocked at such allegations but we have visited the police to clear our names and they have indeed seen reason with us but those who made the allegations, no matter how highly place and who is sponsoring them must face the law, because they have impugned our character and that of the NFF. If at the end of the day, the Police fail to sue them for false allegations we might be forced to handle the case ourselves, because it was a well publicised matter'.

FIFA had through a November 4 letter, addressed to the NFF Ag Scribe, Barrister Musa Amadu, with reference number SG/tre/nst, signed by FIFA Scribe Jerome Valcke confirmed that it wrote two letters dated September 1 and September 14, to the Sports Minister and the NFF President, insisting on the peaceful resolution of any crisis that may have arisen in Nigerian football. The letters were the reasons for which NFF chiefs were accused of forging FIFA letters and were invited by the police for questioning last week.