FIFA's statutes do not allow undue influence on the running of football
Fifa
has issued ultimatums to Nigeria and Ghana that they both face bans
from global football for "undue influence" in the affairs of their
governing bodies.
Nigeria's ban could begin with immediate effect
if the Nigeria Football Federation "offices are not handed back to the
legitimate NFF executive committee under president Amaju Pinnick."
The
issues in Nigeria come after a recent court case recognised Chris Giwa,
who is currently serving five-year ban by Fifa, as the NFF president.
Giwa has been protesting the result of elections held in September 2014 that saw Pinnick installed as NFF president.
The NFF are due to hold polls on 20 September as Pinnick's four-year term is coming to an end.
The
statement from Fifa added that any ban would not affect Nigeria's
ongoing participation at the Women's Under-20 World Cup in France.
The Super Falconets are due to play Spain in the quarter-finals on Thursday.
A
Ghana high court petition, brought by the attorney general to have the
football association liquidated, must be withdrawn by the 27 August or a
ban will be imposed.
The case came in the wake of widespread corruption allegations.
Football's
world governing body says this "constitutes an undue influence in the
affairs of the GFA in contravention of Fifa statutes."
The letter
signed by Fifa secretary general Fatma Samoura added that "if the
petition to start the liquidation process of the GFA is not withdrawn by
Monday 27 August 2018 at 1100GMT the GFA will be suspended with
immediate effect."
The petition came in the wake of a film by
controversial Ghanaian journalist Anas Aremayaw Anas that showed African
match officials and former GFA president Kwesi Nyantakyi accepting cash
gifts.
A global ban would put Ghana's 2019 African Cup of
Nations qualifier against Kenya on 8 September in doubt, Nigeria are due
to travel to face Seychelles the same weekend.
Since the release
of the film the Confederation of African Football has issued bans to
many of the match officials shown on camera.
Nyantakyi resigned
from his posts as GFA president and from the posts he held with Fifa and
the Confederation of African Football (Caf). He denies any wrongdoing.
Fifa, suspended Nyantakyi for 90 days on 8 June but he has now left his role on the Fifa Council.
Caf
has also announced that it will hold a vote at an Extraordinary
Congress on "30 September 2018 in Egypt to fill the Caf 1st
Vice-President function and the vacancy on the Fifa Council."
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