Nigeria 'drops team ban threat'

The Nigerian government has rescinded its decision to ban the national football team from all competitions, according to reports.

The news came one hour before a 1700 BST deadline set by football's world governing body Fifa was set to pass.

Fifa had said that it would expel Nigeria from world football if the government was seen to be interfering.

Last week President Goodluck Jonathan said that after the team's poor World Cup they would be banned for two years.

On Sunday, the Nigerian Football Federation's (NFF) top two officials were sacked in a bid to appease the president.

A source told the BBC that the sackings had not swayed the president's decision, but that the NFF had requested to meet with the president on Monday to hold emergency talks ahead of Fifa's deadline.

President Jonathan had said that the ban was necessary to "enable the country to put its house in order".

BBC online, Jul. 5th, 2010