Football
ESPN staff 8y

Rival officials brawl at Nigeria football federation headquarters

The Nigeria Football Federation says there has been a brawl at its headquarters after a group of rival officials who claim they should be in charge broke into the building.

The NFF said in a statement that its head spokesman and another of its staff members traded punches with one of the men who forced their way in. The NFF says members of its staff were pushed around and harassed.

The NFF released a photograph which it claims shows the front door of the building after it was broken by the rival officials, who were accompanied by "thugs."

The leader of the rival group, Christopher Giwa, claims he should be president of the NFF, butĀ FIFA has backed the current NFF leadership and president Amaju Pinnick.

Last month, Giwa, Muazu Suleyman, Yahaya Adama, Sani Fema and Effiong Johnson were all given five-year bans by the NFF's Disiciplinary Committee.

The NFF says Giwa's group misrepresented themselves as the NFF while hiring a legal firm in Johannesburg and accruing bills of up to $100,000, which they have refused to pay, leading to legal action against the NFF.

The rogue group claims they were elected into the executive committee of the NFF in August 2014. That election was not recognised by FIFA, which ordered fresh elections that subsequently produced the current administration led by Pinnick.

FIFA's decision was challenged by Giwa at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which ruled in favour of FIFA.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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