The Nigeria Football Supporters’ Club President-General Rafiu Ladipo is throwing his weight behind the Federal Government’s decision to obey the Supreme Court ruling removing the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) board headed by Amaju Pinnick.
Sports minister Solomon Dalung on Monday directed the NFF to comply with the apex court judgment on April 27 restoring the orders of the Federal High Court setting aside the purported NFF election on September 30, 2014, which brought in Pinnick.
Chris Giwa, who won at a parallel NFF poll on August 26, 2014, has since assumed control of the national football house.
Ladipo, who criticised the Pinnick board for the early exit of the Super Eagles from the Russia 2018 World Cup, said the board deserved to go.
He insisted that the board failed to move football forward in the country, citing the failure of the Eagles to qualify for two back-to-back Africa Cup of Nations.
“We were the defending champions of the Chile 2015 FIFA Under-17 World Cup but we failed to qualify for the next edition in India,” Ladipo told our correspondent here.
“We lost our first qualifying match of the 2019 AFCON at home to Bafana Bafana, and now we have failed to reach the second round of the World Cup.”
The club chief added, “ It’s good riddance to bad rubbish. Pinnick sees everybody in Nigerian football as a novice. His board didn’t care for those who risked their lives to come from Nigeria to support the Eagles here in Russia.
“He achieved a lot for himself and zero for Nigerian football.”
Ladipo pleaded with FIFA to show understanding, saying the body should allow the country to restructure the administration of the game.
He backed the government’s decision to obey the court order on the disputed elections, calling for all football stakeholders to unite.
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