Nigeria leader bans team after World Cup fiasco

Nigeria President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday banned the country’s football team from international competition for two years following their dismal showing at the World Cup, his office said.

“President Goodluck Jonathan has directed that Nigeria withdraws from international competition for two years to enable the country to put its house in order,” spokesman Ima Niboro told reporters after a weekly cabinet meeting.

Nigeria finished bottom of their group in South Africa with just one point from three matches.

They lost to Argentina and Greece and drew with South Korea.

Rotimi Amaechi, governor of a key oil-producing state, Rivers, who heads a special presidential task force on the World Cup campaign, said Nigeria would write to football’s world governing body FIFA to explain its decision.

“We went to the World Cup and found all sorts of problems and we felt we should sit back and look inward,” said Amaechi.

Jonathan also ordered an audit into how the funds allocated for the team at the World Cup were used.