NIGERIA has been suspended from all international football because of government interference in its football federation.

FIFA announced the ban, which means no Nigerian team, including club sides, can play internationally, on Wednesday evening after warning they would take action if the NFF’s sacked executive committee was not reinstated.

The move comes in response to a court order which compelled the Nigerian Minister of Sports to appoint a senior member of the civil service to take over the running of the Nigeria Football Federation in the wake of the nation’s exit from the World Cup finals in Brazil.

A statement from FIFA’s emergency committee said: “The suspension will be lifted once the court actions have been withdrawn and the properly elected NFF Executive Committee, the NFF general assembly and the NFF administration are able to work without any interference in their affairs.”

FIFA acted after its warnings went unheeded with an extraordinary general assembly of the federation taking place in Abuja at the weekend without NFF chief Aminu Maigari, his executive committee and the NFF congress having been restored to power.

Maigari was arrested on his return from South America, Nigeria reached the second round, but bowed out after a 2-0 defeat by France in the last 16, but was later released.