Nigerian Super Eagles on Sunday lost their final group stage game to the Barea of Madagascar at the ongoing African Cup of Nations tournament in Egypt. The surprising defeat saw the the determined Malagasy team score three points up the table by winning the match with two goals to nothing.
After the unsettling incident where a lot of Super Eagles fans were unhappy with the outcome of the game, a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja issued a bench warrant on Monday for the arrest of the president of Nigeria Football Federation, Amaju Pinick.
Although unrelated to the defeat, the court order was handed by the judge against Pinnick and other NFF officials over a 17-count charge filed against them by the federal government for allegedly misappropriating $8.4 million dollars belonging to the organization.
Both Pinnick and the named NFF officials: Seyi Akinwunmi, first vice-president of the federation; Shehu Dikko, second vice-president, Sunusi Mohammed, secretary; and Yusuff Fresh, an executive member of NFF were absent in court as at the time of the order.
While the leadership of the Nigerian Football Federation go through a corruption scandal back home in Nigeria, the Super Eagles are struggling to maintain their stay at the AFCON tournament in Egypt.
Having qualified for the knockout stage as the best losers in Group B, the outcome of the next match will determine whether Nigeria will go further in the tournament or return home.