NFF Bigwigs In Zurich For FIFA Congress

Top officials of the Nigeria Football Federation have arrived at FIFA’s headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland ahead of Friday’s extraordinary congress of football’s world governing body.

NFF President Amaju Pinnick, 1st Vice President Seyi Akinwunmi and General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi flew out of Nigeria on Wednesday morning for the congress, which highlight is the election of a new FIFA President among five men of varying ages and comportment.

Barr. Seyi Akinwunmi, 1st Vice President of Nigeria Football Federation, Chairman LSFA

The world’s media have continued to underscore Sheikh Salman bin al-Khalifa from Bahrain and Italian-Swiss Gianni Infantino as favourites ahead of South African Tokyo Sexwale, Frenchman Jerome Champagne and Prince Ali bin al-Hussein from Jordan.

Al-Khalifa, 50, appears in good stead after securing the backing of the Confederation of African Football, whose supremo, Issa Hayatou, is acting FIFA president. Al-Khalifa will also expect total support from the Asian confederation, which he heads.

However, Infantino, 45, expects support from the European bloc, and sympathy from a few other places. The youngest of the quintet is 40-year old Prince al-Hussein, who secured over 70 votes in a clash with former president Blatter last summer before opting out of a second ballot.

NFF General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi

The oldest is former South African anti-apartheid campaigner and Government Minister, Tokyo Sexwale, but the 62–year old, having failed to secure his own confederation’s backing, is making himself open to ‘alliances’.

Former FIFA deputy secretary general Jerome Champagne, 57, stormed out of the CAF meeting in Kigali last month after the African chiefs opted to back Salman al-Khalifa.

FIFA PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION: CAS REJECTS HRH PRINCE ALI AL HUSSEIN’S REQUEST FOR URGENT PROVISIONAL MEASURES

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has today issued its decision on the urgent request for provisional measures filed by HRH Prince Ali Al Hussein of Jordan. The request for provisional measures has been rejected by the President of the CAS Appeals Arbitration Division. The full order with grounds will be communicated in a few days.

On 22 February 2016, HRH Prince Ali Al Hussein filed an appeal against a decision taken by the FIFA Ad-hoc Electoral Committee dated 15 February 2016 in which it declined to incorporate the use of transparent voting booths for the upcoming FIFA Presidential Election. In an urgent request for provisional measures, HRH Prince Ali Al Hussein sought an order that FIFA be directed to use transparent voting booths, as well as independent scrutineers, in order to safeguard the integrity of the voting process and to ensure that the vote is conducted in secret.

Prince Ali bin al-Hussein to run for FIFA President photo credit JFA

In addition, HRH Prince Ali Al Hussein also asked for the FIFA Presidential Election to be postponed in the event the CAS could not rule on the request for provisional measures before the election, but this request is now moot.

FIFA PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION: HRH PRINCE ALI AL HUSSEIN REQUESTS URGENT INTERIM MEASURES AT CAS

HRH PRINCE ALI AL HUSSEIN REQUESTS URGENT INTERIM MEASURES AT THE COURT OF ARBITRATION FOR SPORT (CAS)

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has registered an appeal and request for urgent provisional measures filed by HRH Prince Ali Al Hussein of Jordan against a decision taken by the FIFA Ad-hoc Electoral Committee dated 15 February 2016 in which it declined to incorporate the use of transparent voting booths for the upcoming FIFA Presidential Election.

HRH Prince Ali Al Hussein seeks an order that FIFA be directed to use transparent voting booths, as well as independent scrutineers, in order to safeguard the integrity of the voting process and to ensure that the vote is conducted in secret. FIFA has been invited to file written observations in reply to Prince Ali’s request.

Prince Ali bin al-Hussein photo credit JFA

The request for provisional measures will be decided by CAS no later than the morning of Thursday 25 February 2016. In the meantime, the CAS will not comment on this pending matter

FIFA PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION: COURT OF ARBITRATION FOR SPORT DISMISSES APPEAL OF MUSA HASSAN BILITY

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has issued its decision in the appeal filed by Musa Hassan Bility against the FIFA Ad hoc Electoral Committee’s decision of 12 November 2015 (the FIFA AEC Decision) in which his candidacy for the upcoming FIFA presidential election was refused. The CAS has dismissed the appeal and upheld the FIFA AEC Decision.

The FIFA Ad hoc Electoral Committee noted that Mr Bility had failed to pass the integrity checks carried out by the Investigatory Chamber of the FIFA Ethics Committee, and for this reason, could not be admitted as a candidate for the election for the office of FIFA President to be held on 26 February 2016.

In appealing to the CAS, Mr Bility sought to overturn the FIFA AEC decision in order to be able to run for the FIFA presidential election in February. At the request of Mr Bility, and with the agreement of FIFA, an expedited procedure was put in place to enable a final decision on the merits to be issued before the end of 2015.

Musa Hassan Bility

The Panel of CAS arbitrators in charge of the procedure, Mr Hendrik Willem Kesler (Netherlands), Mr Muchadeyi Ashton Masunda (Zimbabwe) and Mr Bernhard Heusler (Switzerland) held a hearing with the parties on 23 December 2015 and has today issued his decision in which the appeal of Mr Bility is dismissed. The full award, with the grounds for the decision, will be issued in early 2016.

FIFA PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION THE COURT OF ARBITRATION FOR SPORT (CAS) DISMISSES THE APPEAL OF DAVID NAKHID

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has issued its decision in the appeal filed by David Nakhid against the FIFA Ad hoc Electoral Committee’s decision of 28 October 2015 (the FIFA AEC Decision) in which his candidacy for the upcoming FIFA presidential election was refused. The CAS has dismissed the appeal and upheld the FIFA AEC Decision.

In its decision of 28 October 2015, the FIFA AEC found that Mr Nakhid had not presented declarations of support from at least five member associations, and for this reason, could not be admitted as a candidate for the election for the office of FIFA President on 26 February 2016.

In appealing to the CAS on 13 November 2015, Mr Nakhid sought the annulment of the challenged decision and an order that his candidacy be reinstated.

In line with the FIFA AEC, the CAS Panel found that one member association had issued declarations of support to two candidates, including one for Mr Nakhid, in violation of the applicable FIFA rules. As a consequence, those letters of support were disregarded, meaning that David Nakhid had not met the qualifying criterion of obtaining declarations of support from at least five member associations, and accordingly, his candidature could not be validated.

The full award with the grounds will be notified to the parties in a few days.

THE 90-DAY PROVISIONAL SUSPENSION IMPOSED ON MICHEL PLATINI REMAINS IN FORCE…

THE 90-DAY PROVISIONAL SUSPENSION IMPOSED ON MICHEL PLATINI REMAINS IN FORCE, BUT FIFA IS ORDERED NOT TO EXTEND IT

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has partially upheld the request for provisional measures filed by Michel Platini requesting that his 90-day provisional suspension from taking part in any kind of football-related activity at national and international levels be lifted until a final decision on the merits of the dispute is taken by the FIFA Ethics Committee.
On 20 November 2015, Michel Platini filed an appeal against the FIFA Appeal Committee decision, notified on 18 November 2015, confirming the decision rendered on 7 October 2015 by the Adjudicatory Chamber of the FIFA Ethics Committee to impose a provisional ban of 90 days on him. The 90-day period expires on 5 January 2016.

The CAS Panel, composed of Mr Clifford Hendel (France/USA), President, Mr Rui Botica Santos (Portugal) and Prof. Ulrich Haas (Germany), determined that maintaining the provisional suspension for the remainder of the 90 days does not cause irreparable harm to Michel Platini at this point in time. Indeed, the CAS Panel has noted that, at the hearing of 8 December 2015, FIFA’s representatives confirmed FIFA’s assurances expressed earlier that the FIFA Ethics Committee would render its final decision on the merits on or before 5 January 2016, i.e. before the provisional suspension comes to an end.

The CAS Panel also emphasized that, even if the ban were lifted at this time, such measure would not give any guarantee to Michel Platini that the FIFA ad hoc electoral committee would validate his candidature for the FIFA presidential election before 5 January 2016.

Mitchel Platini and Sepp Blatter
photo credit: Antoon Kuper
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/legalcode

However, the CAS Panel considered that the situation would change if FIFA were to extend the provisional suspension for any period up to 45 days, on the basis of “exceptional circumstances” as permitted by Art. 85 of the FIFA Code of Ethics. The Panel found that such an extension would constitute an undue and unjustified restriction of Michel Platini’s right of access to justice, cause irreparable harm to him and also tip the balance of interest test in his favour.

As a consequence, the CAS Panel ordered FIFA not to extend the current provisional suspension imposed on Michel Platini.

FIFA PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION: DAVID NAKHID FILES APPEAL CAS

David Nakhid has filed an appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against the FIFA Ad hoc Electoral Committee’s decision of 28 October 2015 in which his candidacy for the upcoming presidential election was refused.

The FIFA Ad hoc Electoral Committee found that Mr Nakhid had not presented declarations of support from at least five member associations, and for this reason, could not be admitted as a candidate for the election for the office of FIFA President on 26 February 2016.

In appealing to the CAS, Mr Nakhid seeks the annulment of the challenged decision and an order that his candidacy be reinstated. No hearing date has been fixed for the moment.

A procedural calendar will be determined within the next days, after consultation with the parties.

NFF: Odegbami Should Face Up To Reality

The Nigeria Football Federation has chastised former Nigerian international player Olusegun Odegbami to stop his campaign of calumny against the NFF and prominent Nigerian football figures and face up to the reality that he undid him own campaign for a slot at the FIFA Presidency.

Former Green Eagles’ captain Odegbami failed to secure the statutory five nominations needed to put him on the ballot for next year’s FIFA Presidential election, and has been relentless in throwing salvos against the NFF and prominent figures like Dr. Amos Adamu and Chief Orji Uzor Kalu.

“We are thoroughly disappointed at the conduct of Chief Odegbami since his failed bid,” Hon. Suleiman Yahaya-Kwande, Chairman of the NFF Media and Publicity Committee, stated. “He was his own big problem, with the letter he wrote castigating the leadership of FIFA and CAF, which he brazenly copied to these eminent figures.

“We consider Chief Odegbami an elder statesman in Nigeria football, but he has been throwing a lot of tantrums lately. He has been accusing very prominent and illustrious persons of so many things, and imagining himself to be a saint.”

Yahaya-Kwande, also a ranking member of the House of Representatives, said the onus was on Odegbami to secure his five nominations outside NFF’s endorsement.

“The NFF is aware that Odegbami reached out to the Football Associations of Ghana, Togo, Benin Republic and Zambia. How is his failure the fault of the NFF? They told him to his face that they were opposed to him because of his statements against the President of CAF, who is now Acting FIFA President.

“He said the NFF wasted time in endorsing him. As far back as September 8, we set out conditions for himself and Chief Orji Kalu to meet before we could endorse either of them. We always emphasized extensive consultations by the aspirants. It is outrightly mischievous for him to give the impression that the NFF was his problem. The NFF President was in Cairo, Egypt to campaign for him for the five nominations, but where was Odegbami himself on the day that mattered?

“Let it be said that Nigeria was the only country where more than one person showed interest in the race. Odegbami was a great football player and brought honour to Nigeria, but Chief Kalu also brought honour to Nigeria through extensive support for Enyimba to win top laurels. It is also true that Kalu indicated his interest before Odegbami did. Yet, we eventually endorsed Odegbami.”

Yahaya-Kwande emphasized that none of the candidates who eventually got on the ballot relied solely on their National Association to get the five nominations for them.

“Odegbami has this strange idea that everyone else is tainted and he is not! He worked against himself. It is not NFF’s problem; it is his problem, entirely.”