By Daily Sports on April 15, 2016

Veteran football administrator, Prince Isidore Oduah, has asked the Minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung, to without any further delay apologise to Nigerians or resign because of the shoddy manner he fuelled the current crisis rocking football family in the country.

Oduah described as a shame the way and manner the minister dabbled into the matter even though FIFA has made it unambiguously clear that no football matter should be entertained in a conventional court but at the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) and that any country that fails to strictly adhere to that rule would be banned from participating in global football championships.

He told Daily Sports: “Dalung acted like a loosed bull and at the end he brought this uncalled-for impasse. He would have remained neutral in the whole affair and play the role of a mediator. For him to take side with any of the parties smacks of irresponsibility and lack of quality leadership. It is a pity that this is happening when Nigeria’s football family ought to be in sober mood resulting from her inability to qualify for AFCON 2017 – an indication that football is fast decaying in the country. The whole exercise by Chris Giwa and his group casts aspersions on the nation before the international community. We are seen as a country up in arms against herself, fighting many wars.”

Oduah pointed out that Dalung as a lawyer ought to know the consequences of taking sides with whoever goes contrary to FIFA laws by challenging football matters in the open court.

“Let me say without any prejudice that the minister acted in bad faith and he must be squarely held responsible for all that is happening to the game at the moment,” the former member of the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) – now Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) – said. “In short, he must own up that he did not behave like a national leader. I don’t want know where the said Chris Giwa came from. The fact remains that as a supervisor of NFF, the minister should not have made such an outrageous pronouncement that brought the already fragile game in the land into further disrepute. FIFA is watching and if nothing positive is done within the time line, the hammer may fall.”

The Financial Secretary of the Association of Sports Veterans of Nigeria added that though the minister has made a grievous mistake, he should at the same time rally round to ensure lasting peace in the football family.

He noted that though both Amaju Pinnick and Chris Giwa do not have the pedigree to administer the game, since the crooked election of 2014 threw up Amaju and his board; he should be supported to serve out his colourless term. Giwa and his over ambitious likes must wait for another election, he further said.

“My candid take is that these trouble makers should gird their loins and stop this distraction that is an ill wind which would serve nobody any good at the end of the day,” Oduah said. “Nigerian football needs every concentration it deserves now to gather itself from the shock of Gabon 2017 AFCON exit. Giwa should call himself to order. His activities so far have caused enough shame to the country amongst the civilised world. Nigeria parades the finest administrators but a disjointed system allows these never-do-wells to ascend to the highest football office in the land and due to lack of capacity, they only succeed in taking our football many steps backward than they met it. Let there be peace.”

•Photo shows Prince Isidore Oduah.

Source Daily Sports

Posted April 15, 2016

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