FIFA Slams Worldwide Ban on Giwa, Four Others

Duro Ikhazuagbe

Jos-based football financier, Chris Giwa and four other officials banned by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) for trying to drag the game into disrepute with their conducts have further been slammed with worldwide ban by the game’s governing body, FIFA.

Giwa and his group who were in a leadership tussle with the NFF board led by Amaju Pinnick were deemed to have contravened article 136ff of the FIFA Disciplinary Code and therefore had their five-year ban extended worldwide from all football related activities.

“In accordance with article 136ff of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, the Chairman of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee has decided to extend the five-year ban from taking part in any kind of football-related activity imposed on the five officials to have worldwide effect,” a statement by FIFA announced on its website tuesday.

The other officials slammed by the worldwide ban include; Johnson Effiong, Yahya Adama, Muazu Suleman and Sani Fema.

In May last year, the Glass House first slammed Giwa, owner of former NPFL club, Giwa FC, and the other officials after they sought redress from a civil court over a leadership tussle and as against the NFF statutes.
Nigeria survived threats of FIFA ban as a result of this leadership tussle.

Giwa claimed he was duly elected NFF president in a sham election August 2014 in Abuja and asked the court to overturn the elections of September 2014 in Warri that produced Amaju Pinnick as the bona-fide NFF chief.

This five-year sanction slammed on Giwa by NFF was later extended by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).