The Nigerian national football team has been banned from competitive games for two years by the country’s president following their poor performance at the World Cup.
President Goodluck Jonathan forced the hiatus upon the squad to allow it time to “put its house in order”, his office said.
Nigeria finished bottom of their group in South Africa with just one point after losing to Argentina and Greece and drawing with South Korea.
But the decision is likely to aggravate football’s governing body Fifa which is opposed to politicians interfering with the running of national teams.
Fifa has already voiced its opposition to the French government getting involved following France’s first round exit from the World Cup.
The French team’s campaign saw abuse hurled at manager Raymond Domenech, which resulted in the players going on strike and not training.
French Football Federation (FFF) president Jean-Pierre Escalettes resigned after failing to stop the team walking out.
Domenech and Escalettes were hauled before a hearing of a French parliamentary commission to investigate the debacle.
Former Nigeria goalkeeper Emmanuel Babayaro, said Mr Jonathan’s reaction showed the depth of feeling after the Super Eagles’ below-par performance.
“It goes to reveal the pain everybody is feeling including the president, for a country with so much talent, so many resources,” he said.
Niyi Adesina, an editor with a local daily The Nation, saw the decision to overhaul Nigerian football as long overdue, but the action rather harsh.
“The decision is a fine one but is tantamount to throwing away the baby with the bath water and you don’t cut off your head to cure your headache,” he said.
“What the government should have done is to examine the whole system and take out what is bad and leave what is good.”
Football fan and make-up artist Tunde Afolabi said: “I feel sad, I am not happy but on the other hand, I think it’s okay, it’s going help us prepare for the future.
“The administrators were not serious”.
