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The factional head of the NFF has said he is ready to talk peace with the football family on his terms while dismissing Fifa’s ban threats
Chris Giwa, factional president of the Nigeria Football Federation, has declared that he is ready to cooperate with football stakeholders and bring peace to the country’s game.
Like he did on Friday, Giwa stormed the NFF Secretariat in Abuja on Monday, accompanied by 1st Vice President Obinna Ogba, board members Sani Fema and Yahaya Adama and after a short meeting with his board members in one of the staff offices of the Glass House, addressed journalists.
He clarified that he made attempts to wave the olive branch to Amaju Pinnick, the Fifa-recognized NFF president whose election has now been quashed by the court, and other stakeholders even before the September 30 election, but he complained that his effort met stiff resistance.
He also doused tensions that Fifa was ready to slam a ban on Nigerian football and assured that it won’t happen at the end of the day.
“Wherever there is misunderstanding, there should be room for reconciliation. Whether you like it or not, in a process like this, there will be persons who will be aggrieved and they will be people who are pleased with it. The only way Nigerian football can move forward is for us to get ourselves together as one family,” Giwa said.
“I believe that things will normalize very soon. I won’t be part of what will jeopardize the interest of Nigerians. In a family, there are always senior and junior brothers. And by the grace of God as long as this issue is concerned, Giwa remains the elder brother.
“I don’t have any problem with any member of the football family. So if there are issues to be settled, it is not between me and Pinnick. It is for all the football family to come together and sought things out. When we begin to take things personal, the problem will still remain there,” he said.
He also disclosed that he had earlier agreed to drop his ambition in the interest of Nigerian football but gave the condition that if the election of September 30was to take place it must not be in Warri, Delta State but in a neutral place which was not harkened to.
On the recent sack of coach Stephen Keshi and the Super Eagles technical crew, Giwa insisted: “In our board meeting last week Thursday, we all agreed that the technical crew headed by Keshi remains in charge. So any other release coming outside that for now should not be accepted by Nigerians.
“It is not an issue of Keshi or Shaibu Amodu but the issue is that Nigeria should qualify for the next Nations Cup. All that Keshi needs now is for him to have support from us. If you are telling someone who started a process to go, I don’t think whoever you are bringing here has any role to play.
“I have spoken to Keshi and we are hopeful that by tomorrow or next, we should have him on ground,” Giwa disclosed.
Nigeria need to put aside internal wranglings if they are to defend their title at next year's Africa Cup of Nations.
The Super Eagles are third in qualifying Group A behind South Africa and Congo but ahead of Sudan. They will play Congo in Pointe Noire on November 15 before welcoming South Africa to Uyo on November 19.
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