Chairman of the Federal Capital Territory Football Association (FCTFA), Alhaji Musa Saeed Talle, who was one of the eight football officials named to have filed the appeal, has now revealed that his signature on the appeal was forged.
Chris Giwa, the man who recently stepped down as Chairman of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to avoid a ban by the Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA), is at the heart of a fresh forgery scandal.
Members of Giwa’s NFF faction had filed a petition on 5th September at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in his failed bid to cling to the NFF chairmanship, which was eventually thrown out on Tuesday, as CAS said the appeal was “without object”.
However, Chairman of the Federal Capital Territory Football Association (FCTFA), Alhaji Musa Saeed Talle, who was one of the eight football officials named to have filed the appeal, has now revealed that his signature on the appeal was forged.
Talle also dissociated himself and his FA from the appeal filed by some Football Associations' Chairmen to CAS on FIFA's earlier plan to sanction Nigeria over the occupation of the NFF secretariat by the Giwa factional executives.
“My name and signature was appended as one of the FA chairmen that filed the appeal on behalf of the Chris Giwa-led group. I want to state categorically that I had no prior knowledge of such an appeal, and at no time did anyone discuss such an issue with me, neither did I sign any document of such for anybody," Talle said on Thursday.
“I want the general public to disregard the appendage of my name and signature in the document as they are forged, and do not represent my intention, nor that of my FA."
“In as much as my FA frowned at the recent impasse that had engulfed Nigeria football, we would not tolerate any attempt by any group to drag our name to any issue we are not part of."
“We would therefore not stop at whatever level to seek redress on such issues. We further appeal to all affiliates of FIFA to adhere strictly to its dictates and statutes as it’s done all over the world over."
Similarly, Enugu State FA Chairman, Chidi Ofo Okenwa, denied signing the appeal and swore to an affidavit at the Federal High Court in Enugu against “gross falsehood” against his name and person “in a matter before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on request for provisional measures against FIFA on the state of Nigerian football”.
Asides Talle and Okenwa, others whose names appeared on the appeal are Yahaya Adama, Obinna Ogba, Effiong Johnson, Busari Ishola, Mohhammed Saidu and Tijani Jubril.