Fifa lifts ban on Nigeria

FIFA has fully lifted the ban on Nigeria after court action against the federation’s officials was halted. The Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) was banned three weeks ago for various reasons, including political intrusion.The ban was provisionally lifted a few days later which allowed them to play their Nations Cup qualifier in Guinea. The withdrawal of the legal action by the players’ organization (NANF) allowed the NFF to function again, prompting Fifa to reverse the ban. “Fifa decided to lift the suspension on the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) after receiving confirmation that the court actions against elected members of the NFF had ceased and that they could now work without hindrance,” Fifa said in a statement on Friday. Fifa had initially imposed the ban for what it called “government interference” in the running of Nigerian football in the wake of the national side’s early exit from the World Cup. But it suspended the ban provisionally this month until October 26 after some steps were taken, notably allowing the country to play a 2012 Nations Cup qualifier in Guinea.Fifa rules protect its members’ independence, and it said early last month that Nigerian officials had been compromised by government interference and legal action brought by NANF. Fifa eased its stance after Musa Amadu was reinstated as the federation’s acting general secretary. He had been forced to step down on the instructions of the government-run National Sports Commission. Nigeria’s new season is now expected to kick off mid this month. Agencies