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The suit on the lingering tussle for the leadership of the Nigeria Football Federation by Amaju Pinnick and Chris Giwa received yet another adjournment on Monday by the Federal high Court in Jos.
In contrast with widespread hope that the case would eventually be dispensed with after last week’s intervention by the Presidency which led to Pinnick-led board returning to the Glass House, the Jos court adjourned hearing of the matter till Wednesday.
The court stated Monday that it would sit on August 1 for hearing of the motion to vacate its previous orders granting recognition to Giwa to lead the NFF while invalidating the process that brought in Pinnick as the soccer governing body’s president.
Pinnick’s lawyers had filed a counter-motion to dismiss the orders, and the court has now adjourned till August 1, for hearing of their plea.
While Giwa’s case was dismissed at the Court of Arbitration for Sports, and even slammed with world-wide ban from football matters by FIFA, the Jos football club proprietor is taking solace in the Jos High Court ruling that upheld his August 26 election in Abuja.
FIFA however is backing Pinnick and has been consistent in warning that any attempt to impose Giwa on Nigerian football will face backlash of ban for the country.
Meanwhile, the Pinnick-led board of the NFF has slated an Emergency Congress for August 2 at Asaba, Delta state.
The Congress is coming as a prelude to the NFF General Elections fixed for Katsina State on September 30.
Interestingly, Giwa had proposed a similar Congress on July 27 but shelve due to the setting up of Football Stakeholders Committee by the Minister for Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung.
Other issue on the agenda, according to our source, is that of the Federal High Court case between the Pinnick faction and that of Giwa.
The Pinnick board is also expected to use the opportunity to fine-tune strategies ahead of the September elections with interested candidates, at the Congress meeting, expected to commence their campaign for various positions in the federation.
The gathering is also expected to review Super Eagle’s outing at the last World Cup in Russia and discuss the qualifications matches for the next African Nations Cup finals holding Cameroon in June next year.
Mention will also be made about the impending FIFA ban of Nigeria from international football.
Similarly, the Stakeholders Committee that was set up by Dalung, is expected to mediate into the crisis and come out with a peaceful resolution in order to avoid FIFA axe.
A five member of Committee is billed to visit FIFA headquarters in Zurich to explain the Federal government stand on the crisis and appeal to the world soccer body that the crisis would be resolved.