The world football governing body (FIFA) has extended the date to October 31st to pass the verdict over Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) should it not mend its house in order.

Having gone through series of ban threats in the past, another deadline has emerged as the nation waits yet again anticipating what will transpire on the deadline day.

The letter submitted through the office of FIFA’s Secretary-General Jerome Valcke and received by the nations football president Amaju Pinnick shows FIFA merciful chance to the Nigerian football to put its house together.

Pinnick also says there are no sign of the court ruling over the election carried out on September 30th being withdrawn and if it lingers then the football arm will apply for suspension from the desk of FIFA Emergency Committee.

The letter written as thus:

We acknowledge receipt of your correspondence dated 27 October 2014 with regard to the latest developments of the situation of the Nigeria Football
Federation (NFF).

We take note of the order granted by the Federal High Court nullifying the NFF elections of 30 September 2014 and the fact that some persons claiming to have been legitimately elected previously went to occupy the offices of the NFF causing great confusion among the administrative staff.

We also note that security forces prevented you from travelling to Namibia where you were supposed to represent the NFF at the final match of the African
Women’s Championship. As stated in our previous letters dated 9 September
2014 and 2 October 2014, FIFA stressed that should the electoral process and the instalment of the newly elected NFF board be affected by any interference,
the case would be brought to the attention of the appropriate FIFA bodies for a suspension of the NFF until the next FIFA Congress due to take place on 28 and 29 May 2015.

The course of events as described in your correspondence clearly shows that
interference has not ceased.
Under these circumstances and in order to give Nigerian football a last opportunity to avoid a lengthy suspension, we inform you that if by Friday 31 October 2014 at midday Nigerian time we have not received proof that the case has been definitively
withdrawn from court and that the board elected on 30 September 2014 is able to carry out its activities without any hindrance, we will refer the case to the
FIFA Emergency Committee for implementation of the suspension.

We would like to underline the dire effects a suspension could have on Nigerian football. It would for instance mean that no team from Nigeria of any
sort (including club teams) could have any international sporting contact (art. 14 par. 3 of the FIFA Statutes). But it would also mean that neither the NFF nor any of its members or officials could
benefit from any development programmes courses or training from FIFA or CAF any longer.

We recommend that you contact the main stakeholders and concerned parties to brief them on the FIFA position. We thus hope that by Friday midday, we will receive the requested evidence in
order to avoid the adverse consequences of a suspension.

Jerome Valcke
Secretary General

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