FIFA to continue monitoring situation with Nigeria FA
By DPA, IANSTuesday, July 6, 2010
JOHANNESBURG - FIFA will continue to keep an eye on Nigeria even though President Goodluck Jonathan has reversed his decision to suspend the country’s national football teams from all international competitions for two years.
“We will continue to monitor the situation closely,” said FIFA spokesman Nicolas Maingot Tuesday in Johannesburg.
“The monitoring is in place and ongoing as we are doing any time when there is an issue.”
Jonathan’s announcement Monday came shortly before the expiry of a deadline imposed by football’s ruling body, which had warned the Nigerian government that it would face sanctions if it did not lift the ban.
The Nigerian president had announced the suspension last Wednesday in the wake of the national team’s poor performance at the World Cup in South Africa.
Nigeria was eliminated in the tournament’s group stage after picking up only one point from three games. The West African country reached the knockout stage of the World Cup in 1994 and 1998.
Jonathan’s actions were in contravention of FIFA statutes, which forbids any state intervention in national football federations.
