Five people were banned for life on Tuesday by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) for their attempt to form a rival organisation.
The NFF executive committee rose from an emergency meeting in Abuja during which they ruled that Jarrett Tenebe, Shuaib Gara-Gombe, Harrison Jalla, Chikelue Iloenyosi and Olajide Fashikun have been banned for life after they tried to form a parallel organisation to be called the Nigeria Football Association (NFA).
“The NFF has condemned in all its entirety the recent attempt by some disgruntled elements to constitute a parallel body for the administration of football in the country,” read in part a statement by the NFF after their meeting.
“These people have therefore been banned from all football-related activities within the Nigeria nation for their roles in trying to truncate the programmes of the NFF and the overall footballing interests of the country.”
The attempt to form a rival football association has been roundly condemned by state football associations, the country’s coaches’ association and the players’ union, among other organisations.
Tenebe twice failed to win election to the executive committee of the NFF from the amateur league, while Gara-Gombe, a vocal critic of football administration in the country, was previously removed as chairperson of the Gombe FA.
Jalla has in the past year dragged Nigerian football to the civil courts on several occasions. — AFP