NFF hands Super Eagles coach Salisu Yusuf one year ban following bribery scandal
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NFF hands Super Eagles coach Salisu Yusuf one year ban following bribery scandal
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) have banned Super Eagles coach
Salisu Yusuf from all football activities for a year and fined $5,000
after he was found guilty of receiving cash from undercover
journalists posing as football agents.
The video was recorded in Ghana during the WAFU Championship by
Ghanaian reporter Anas Aremeyaw Anas in the tournament where Nigeria
finished as runners up to eventual winners Ghana after losing 1-4 in
the final.
Salisu Yusuf faced the Ethics Committee upon his return from London
where he was undergoing surgery when the documentary was aired on the
BBC network last month.
A decision has been reached and he has been banned for one year from
all football related activity in Nigeria, which has now cast doubts on
his role as coach of the Nigeria men Olympic Soccer team.
In a report submitted to the NFF after Salisu Yusuf was invited to
state his own side of matters, the NFF ethics and fair committee
headed by Nuhu Ribadu said it:
1) Established from the admission of Coach Salisu Yusuf and also
found as a fact from the documentary and video evidence before it,
that he accepted the cash gift of $1,000 offered by Tigers Player’s
Agency, an undercover reporter, purportedly interested in acting on
behalf of Players Osas Okoro and Rabiu Ali, for their inclusion in the
list of players for 2018 CHAN Competition in Morocco.
2) The Committee found as a fact that it was not an error of
judgment on the part of Coach Salisu Yusuf but a conscious and
deliberate decision to have accepted the cash gift of $1,000 from the
decoy player agent/undercover reporter, purportedly interested in
acting on behalf of Players Osas Okoro and Rabiu Ali, even though the
evidence before the Committee did not establish that his conduct
influenced the choice of the two players.
3) That the two players could have made the team to 2018 CHAN
Competition in Morocco on the basis of their talent and performance.
4) That coach Salisu Yusuf did not accept the offer of 15% of the
anticipated transfer fees of the said players, as there was no follow
–up action on the promise.
5) That the act of the coach, which was widely published on the
British Broadcasting Corporation, has a damaging effect on the
reputation and integrity of Nigerian Football, as he ought to have
conducted himself more professionally in line with the Code of Conduct
signed alongside his Contract with the Nigeria Football Federation, as
his conduct in public and in secret should be exemplary, since coaches
are role models.
6) That the FIFA Code of Ethics, NFF Code of Ethics and FIFA
Disciplinary Code, did not contemplate negligence or error of judgment
as a defence to violation of any of the provisions as contained
therein, as punitive measures must be adopted to serve as deterrent to
other intending offenders, even though, that he is a first time
offender.
Committee’s decision: “In accordance with Art. 22, FIFA Disciplinary
Code, he is hereby banned for the period of one year, from partaking
or involvement or participation in any football related activity,
effective from the date of this decision. He is also fined in the sum
of $5,000 to be paid within three (3) months of the date of this
decision…” The Committee also ruled that an appeal against the
decision can be made to the NFF Appeals Committee.
With Mainasara Illo (Member), Justin Chidi Okoroji (Member) and Joshua
Onoja (Secretary) also present, the committee said it passed its
verdict of guilt on the defendant based on Art. 20, as well as Art. 21
(1) and 21 (3) of the NFF Code of Ethics. It also made reference to
Art. 10 and 11 of the FIFA Code of Ethics.
Art. 20: “Persons bound by this Code may only offer or accept gifts or
other benefits to and from persons within or outside NFF, or in
conjunction with intermediaries or related parties as defined in this
Code, which i) have symbolic or trivial value ii) exclude any
influence for the execution or omission of an act that is related to
their official activities or falls within their discretion iii) are
not contrary to their duties iv) did not create any undue pecuniary or
other advantage and v) did not create a conflict of interest.
Art 21 (1): “Persons bound by this Code must not offer, promise, give
or accept any personal or undue pecuniary advantage or other advantage
in order to obtain or retain business or any other improper advantage
to or from anyone within or outside NFF. Such acts are prohibited;
regardless of whether carried out directly or indirectly through, or
in conjunction with, intermediaries or related parties as defined in
this Code. In particular, persons bound by this Code must not offer,
promise, give or accept any undue pecuniary or other advance for the
execution or omission of an act that is related to their official
activities and is contrary to their duties or falls within their
discretion. Any such offer must be reported to the Ethics Committee
and any failure to do so shall be sanctionable in accordance with this
Code.”
Art. 21 (3): “Persons bound by this Code must refrain from any
activity or behaviour that might give rise to the appearance or
suspicion of improper conduct as described in the foregoing sections
or any attempt thereof.”
Before the Committee’s sitting, the NFF Integrity Unit headed by Dr.
Christian Emeruwa, which commenced preliminary investigation when the
documentary was first made public, had already submitted a report to
the NFF General Secretary based on its work.
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