What is
FIFA?
Short Term Objective
for this Campaign
Long Term Objective for
this Campaign
Why Should Nigeria be
Expelled from FIFA?
How to push for
Nigeria´s expulsion from FIFA
List of FIFA
Competitions
Letter to
FIFA
FNM Press Releases on
Nigeria´s expulsion from FIFA
FNM Calls for
Nigeria´s expulsion from FIFA (April 01, 1997)
Contact
FIFA
The immediate short term objective for this campaign is to prevent Nigeria´s football team from participating in the FIFA World Cup scheduled to take place in France in the summer of 1998.
The long term objective for this campaign is to increase the global and local isolation and ostracization of the illegal, illegitimate and morally repugnant Nigerian military regime headed by General Sanni Abacha, thereby applying pressure on the regime to restore the mandates it seized from the duly elected representatives of the Nigerian people in November 1993.
Here is a list of FIFA Competitions. FIFA is responsible for arranging the preliminary and final competitions (if there are any other FIFA competitions which we left out, or mistakes in our list below, please let us know (email):
Here is a sample letter you can send to some of the principal officers of FIFA, and the France ´98 World Cup organizing committee. The letter reflects the official position and demands of the Free Nigeria Movement. For the purpose of this campaign, the strategic officers you should target are:
Enter Your Address Here
Officer Name
Officer Position
Address
Date
Dear (Fill in Name):
As a member of the Free Nigeria Movement, and as a member of the human race, I am writing this letter to you to request that you use your good offices to push for the expulsion of Nigeria´s national football association; the Nigeria Football Association (NFA), from membership in the Fédération International de Football Association (FIFA), thereby preventing Nigeria´s football (soccer) teams from taking part in any of the competitions organized under the auspices of your organization.
Firstly, FNM is a global grassroots based mass movement working for the full and total restoration of freedom to Nigeria and its people. The FNM is a non-violent movement inspired by, and modeled after the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa, and the Free Burma Coalition (FBC). Currently there are FNM members on all five continents working on the "International Isolation for Nigeria campaign", a campaign of the FNM which includes the calling for the expulsion of Nigeria from all international bodies including FIFA and the IOC.
The Movement enjoys strong support and participation from members of NGOs working for freedom, democracy, human rights, responsible investment, and an end to environmental degradation worldwide.
Why should Nigeria be expelled from FIFA?
You are probably aware that during the period of the inglorious apartheid system in South Africa, that nation was isolated and ostracized by the global community with actions such as its expulsion from world bodies including the United Nations (UN), the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Fédération International de Football Association (FIFA). The same policy of global isolation should also be undertaken at present against Nigeria, for the simple reason that the nation is currently being held hostage by an illegal, illegitimate and morally repugnant military regime.
Unfortunately, Nigeria´s recent accomplishments in the field of international football, most notably the Olympic gold medal won by the Nigerian football team at the 1996 Olympic Football Tournament, held in Atlanta, USA are being used to seek legitimacy and recognition both within Nigeria and on the global stage by the brutal and illegal Nigerian military dictatorship led by General Sanni Abacha. The fact that Nigeria´s senior men´s football team is at present actively engaged in the pursuit of claiming one of the five spaces allocated to Africa at the 1998 edition of the FIFA World Cup competition in France, shows the importance the Nigerian military regime places in international football, especially the upcoming World Cup.
FNM´s call to have Nigeria expelled from all world bodies is in accordance with the wishes of the legitimate leaders of Nigeria´s democratic movement. As you might be aware, 1993 was to be the year the Nigerian military was to hand over power to a popularly elected civilian administration, going as far as conducting elections all the way to the Presidential level by June 1993. However, the military regime in Nigeria headed by General Sanni Abacha, under whose rules Nigeria´s current international football program is pursued, has so far blatantly refused to honor the popular mandate evidenced in the election results. On the contrary, the military regime has rewarded the Nigerian people, by imprisoning the presumed winner of the Presidential election, Chief Moshood K.O. Abiola, under solitary confinement and without trial since 1994. Furthermore, the regime has shown its appreciation of the people´s clamor for a restoration of the democratic structures it disbanded by exiling, jailing, assassinating and executing the democratically chosen leaders of the Nigerian people.
Owing to the intransigent and extremely repressive nature of the military (and the visible role international football exposure for Nigeria plays in all this), the international media have shown increasing sympathy toward FNM´s call for the expulsion of Nigeria from all world bodies till the illegal military regime restores the mandates it unconstitutionally seized from the duly elected representatives of the Nigerian people. Justifiably, due to what can best be described as the assault of the Nigerian military (and its civilian collaborators) on their fellow Nigerian people, Nigeria has come to be portrayed as the "Nazi Germany of the 1990s ". As to the potency of the present FNM initiated campaign calling for Nigeria´s expulsion from all world bodies, we should all be keenly aware of what truly grassroots level activism during the days of the anti-apartheid movement led to: eventual total isolation and ostracization of apartheid South Africa from the global community in not only politics, but also sports and culture.
Let it be known that members of the Movement worldwide are dedicated to getting Nigeria out of all world bodies, and till FIFA expels Nigeria from its ranks, we shall boycott not only FIFA goods, but also the goods and services of companies that advertise in FIFA competitions.
We will, call of the on-going FIFA boycott worldwide immediately, if, and only if, FIFA complies with the following two demands:
To be specific, FIFA:
- Withdraws the rights of all Nigerian football teams to partake in FIFA Competitions, including, but not limited to:
- i) The Futsal World Championship
- ii) The FIFA World Cup
- iii)The Olympic Football Tournament
- iv)The Under-17 World Championship
- v) The Women´s World Cup
- Ends the inclusion of Nigeria in its rankings of national football teams.
- Withdraws the accreditation it has given Nigerian based Referees from officiating in international football matches.
Indeed Nigeria´s presence in FIFA competitions at this juncture is NOT defensible either on moral, economic or sports grounds. It is, therefore our sincere hope that FIFA would follow the moral high ground by immediately expelling Nigeria from its ranks.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Your name here
Please send a response you get to the FNM address so that we can be kept abreast of developments. The FNM address is at the bottom of the page.
Postal Address:
(FIFA Headquarters)
Hitzigweg 11, P.O. Box 85
CH-8030 Zurich, Switzerland
or
(Local Organizing Committee FRANCE ´98)
17/21 Avenue du Général Mangin
75016 Paris, FRANCE
Phone:
(41)1/384 9595 (FIFA HQ)
(33) 1/44 95 19 98 (Local Organizing Committee FRANCE
´98)
Fax
(41)1/384 9696 (FIFA HQ)
(33)1/42 25 15 05 (Local Organizing Committee FRANCE ´98)
For the contact addresses of your national football association, please send us an email and we shall send you the information (email)