NFA/NFF SAGA: WHY NSC SEEKS FIFA'S INTERVENTION

Fresh facts emerged last night why Sports Ministry and the National Sports Commission (NSC) decided to table the imbroligio in nation's football before the world's football governing body, FIFA.

According to a dependable source, NSC is avoiding a situation whereby it would be accused of interfering in football matters as a government representative.

In whatever way the face off between the new body, Nigeria Football Association, (NFA) and the Nigeria Football Federation, (NFF) would be resolved, NSC wants FIFA to be part of the decision process.

The Sports Ministry is also playing safe and it doesn't want FIFA to sanction Nigeria over government interferrance on football matters.

'The Sports Ministry is taking a good step. It is important to involve FIFA from the beginning, so that the issue would be resolved once. The NFA and NFF groups had written to FIFA and FIFA would be waiting for a comment from the government since both parties had complained to the same authorities. The NSC Director General, Dr Patrick Ekeji, has the power to take any decision that would be of interest to the nation but he has to carry the international body along for credibility,' the source said.

Ekeji intervened to mediate between the two warring bodies before the police carried out the court order dated August 26, 2011, which invalidated Aminu Maigari's election, following Ekeji's plea for a week to meet the warring parties. However, no compromise was achieved when both the NFA and NFF met at the NSC headquarters.

Harrison Jalla, who is the president of the National Association of Nigerian Footballers (NANF), formed the NFA to buttress the point that the current NFF is illegal. A successful law suit had been filed last year to challenge the legality of the election that ushered in Maigari and his group.