NFF Crisis: Peace meeting brokered by Sports Minister ends in deadlock

Attempts by the Sports Minister, Tamunono Danagogo, to secure a truce between the warring factions in the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, crisis ended in deadlock on Tuesday afternoon, PREMIUM TIMES has gathered.

The minister at his office held separate meetings with the Chris Giwa-led faction as well as the Amaju Pinnick-led executives with the aim of finding a common ground that would see Nigeria escape the looming FIFA ban but very little was said to have been achieved in the meetings.

“They (NFF factions) will be coming back for fresh rounds of talks later today, the minister has made it clear that for peace to reign, it will have to be a case of give and take even as he remains optimistic that Nigeria will not be banned by FIFA,” a source at the meeting told PREMIUM TIMES.

The minister also said he will not foreclose inviting “Elder statesmen” in Nigerian football to help appeal to parties to give peace a chance as there is more to lose than gain if the world football governing ends up suspending Nigeria.

The NFF crisis took a new twist last Thursday when a court in Jos sacked the elected electives that emerged from the September 30 elective congress held in Warri, Delta State.

The Court instead ruled that Chris Giwa, who emerged from another supposed elections on August 26, should return to office to administer the Federation.

Mr. Giwa was at the Glass House secretariat of the NFF on Monday but he was not allowed access into the office.