FIFA World Cup 2010: FIFA Warn the Nigerian government
After the disappointing performance of the Nigerian national team in the FIFA World Cup of 2010 which saw them getting eliminated from the competition at the group stages, Nigerian government intervened and took an audacious decision to ban their national team from all football competitions for the next two years.
This decision was treated differently amongst Nigerian fan circles. A team which was based on average players at best was not able to perform, but this did not stop Nigerian fans from drawing harsh conclusions, some of them even supported this step by the government. However FIFA has reacted very differently and has warned the Nigerian government to reverse its decision by 5th of July, 2010.
FIFA has always had a strict policy of no governmental intervention in foot-balling associations of any member country. They have always to their credit, promoted foot-balling autonomy under any condition. In the past FIFA have taken strict decisions due to violation of their rules by member countries, for example FIFA banned Brunei’s football association on October 5th, 2009 for government intervention.
This decision came in the light of Brunei’s government intervention to dissolve the national football association and replace it with another association. This decision meant that Bruneian clubs like DPMM will not be allowed to participate in the Singaporean S-League.
FIFA also took similar steps with regard to Iraq’s situation, where their football association was expelled from FIFA after the Iraqi government took decisions which undermined football association’s autonomy in the country. Following this ban in 2008, Iraqi football team was not allowed to participate in the Olympic Games in Beijing during the same calendar year.
FIFA’s representative stated with regard to the Nigerian issue that FIFA had sent a letter to the Nigerian government informing them of the consequences which can follow the taking of such an action. This suspension from FIFA would mean that the Nigerian football team will be banned from all international foot-balling competitions and also African foot-balling competitions. Other than that it will also mean that any FIFA aid to domestic football association(s) in Nigeria will be halted immediately.
FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke stated that the French government had already been warned for similar behavior, so FIFA will expect countries to learn from each other’s mistakes. He said that it doesn’t matter to FIFA whether the country was France or Nigeria, what mattered was that rules were broken and therefore decisions needed to be taken to restore order.
The French government incurred the wrath of FIFA after the French President Nicolas Sarkozy promised to personally look into the French team’s failure at the World Cup and investigate the reasons. He also met with the former French captain Thierry Henry. Sarkozy met with the French sports minister on 23rd of July to discuss ways in which French football can be changed for the better.
Jerome Valcke said regarding this issue, that the President of France has been warned to stay away from foot-balling affairs as no government official can ask anyone in the French Football Federation to resign or leave his/her post.
On the above mentioned occasions teams have or have come close to violating Article 13.1.(g) of FIFA’s charter which states that it is crucial for local football associations "to manage their affairs independently and ensure that their own affairs are not influenced by any third parties”. Greece was also banned from international competitions in 2005 after its parliament made an effort to change some laws regarding controlling of domestic sports organizations.
The Nigerian government should be careful and will be well advised to reverse their decisions regarding the Nigerian football team. FIFA has not been shy of punishing nations in the past for their discretions into football autonomy. This will come as a big blow to African football.
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