World football’s governing body, FIFA has thrown its weight behind the Amaju Pinnick-led NFF board as the crisis engulfing the association deepens.

FIFA’s stance on the matter was conveyed in a response letter signed by the body’s Secretary General, Fatma Samoura.

The letter, sent last month, was a reply to an earlier complaint lodged by lawyers attached to the Chris Giwa-led faction.

The FIFA letter read in part: “FIFA therefore recognizes the NFF executive committee under Amaju Melvin Pinnick which was duly elected on 30 September 2014.

The NFF crisis took a dramatic turn earlier on Monday after the Sports Minister, Barrister Solomon Dalung ordered the national football body to obey the Supreme Court ruling on the crisis.

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has been engulfed in one controversial incident after another since the separate 2014 elections that gave birth to the Amaju Pinnick-led faction and the Chris Giwa-led faction, though it must be pointed out that FIFA has always maintained that it only recognises the NFF board led by Amaju Pinnick.

Aside his role as NFF President, Pinnick is also a Confederation of African Football (CAF) Executive Committee member and a FIFA Committee member.