‘Infantino’s visit to Nigeria may resolve NFF crisis’

FIFA president to watch Zenith Bank Future Eagles championship

The planned visit to Nigeria of new FIFA President, Gianni Infantino, will put paid to the crisis engineered by some people in the country’s football, a top official of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has disclosed.

Thenff.com yesterday disclosed that FIFA had ‘robust and illuminating sessions with the leadership of the NFF at the 66th FIFA Congress in Mexico City,” where the president of football’s world governing body, Infantino, promised to visit Nigeria in a few weeks.

Quoting NFF President, Amaju Pinnick, the report said during the visit, Infantino will pay a courtesy call on President Muhammadu Buhari, attend the finals of the NFF/ZENITH Bank Future Eagles Championship, have an evening with Corporate Nigeria and also have an interactive session with a horde of African FA Presidents, who will also be in Nigeria to receive him.

The report also quotes Pinnick as disclosing: “The FIFA President says Nigeria is a big country and a massive footballing nation that should help with the new FIFA leadership’s drive to truly develop the game. He is excited about our various capacity–building and youth development programmes and that is why he is coming to watch the NFF/ZENITH Bank Championship finals.

“He sees a lot of potential and dynamism in the current NFF leadership and says he would love to work with the NFF for the general development of the game.”

An NFF source, who pleaded anonymity, told The Guardian yesterday that the FIFA president’s visit has presented stakeholders in the country’s football the opportunity to resolve the crisis in the game.

“We expect that FIFA will during the visit impress on Nigerian leaders the need to allow football laws rule the game instead of doing things that will continuously ridicule the country.

“Every four years since 1999, Nigeria is taken on a ride by overambitious individuals, who present us before the international community as a lawless country. Our belief is that part of the outcome of Infantino’s visit is a permanent solution to the crisis,” he said.