matters.Nigeria was banned for nine days in July after ou

FIFA has recognized this weeks Nigeria Football Federation elections and said Thursday it had sent a letter congratulating new president Amaju Pinnick.FIFA can now stand down over its threats to ban Nigeria a€” the current African champion a€” following months of turmoil and alleged government interference to influence the leadership of the Nigerian federation. FIFA rules do not allow governments to interfere in football matters.Nigeria was banned for nine days in July after outgoing NFF President Aminu Maigari was arrested on his return from the World Cup in Brazil and a sports ministry-appointed official was put in charge of the federation. The ban was lifted when Maigari was reinstated.The West African country was again threatened with suspension last month when Maigari was ousted from office for a second time in elections not recognized by FIFA.Pinnick, a sports administrator from the southern Delta state, was elected new president on Tuesday in a process overseen by Maigari a€” one of the conditions laid down for the elections by FIFA. Pinnick needed two rounds of voting to secure the required two-thirds majority. FIFA said in a statement to The Associated Press that it had been notified of the results of the vote in the southern city of Warri.The elections for a new NFF executive were still rocky, with one of the seven initial candidates for the presidency declared ineligible after he failed to turn up amid reports that some officials were detained by state security forces. The start of the vote was delayed for two hours.Failure to organize credible elections could have led to Nigerias team being thrown out of the ongoing African Cup of Nations qualifying competition, preventing it from defending its title in Morocco early next year.The NFF said Pinnick had received a congratulatory message from FIFA President Sepp Blatter, but Nigerian authorities were also warned not to interfere again in football by FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke.We now expect the NFF and its new leadership to carry out its activities without any hindrance in order to avoid having to again refer the case to the appropriate FIFA bodies for an automatic suspension, Valcke wrote in a letter, according to the NFF.___Gerald Imray is on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GeraldImrayAP Vancouver Canucks Jerseys . 5 Trade Deadline is drawing closer and teams will be deciding on whether to buy or sell. Kirk Mclean Jersey . At this rate, the Flyers captain is set to be remembered more for a fantastic finish. http://www.officialcanuckspro.com/Todd-b...canucks-jersey/. The 18-year-old Januzaj has made his breakthrough at United this season, including scoring twice in a 2-1 win over Sunderland before the recent international break. His performances have sparked a debate about where his international future lies. Michael Del Zotto Jersey .com) - Mikko Korhonen carded a 5-under 67 on Thursday to claim medalist honors at the European Tours Final Qualifying Stage tournament. Alexander Mogilny Jersey . 5 Trade Deadline is drawing closer and teams will be deciding on whether to buy or sell while figuring out which players can make the biggest difference and hold the greatest value.Carey Price and the Montreal Canadiens play host to the New Jersey Devils tonight. Viewers in the Canadiens region can watch the game on TSN Habs at 7:30pm et/8:30pm at. The game is also available on TSN Radio 690 in Montreal. The Canadiens bounced back from a shootout loss on Friday versus Washington to win for the fifth time in six games as they bested the rival Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 on Saturday. Max Pacioretty scored twice, once shorthanded and another on the power play, and finished with an assist to help back 34 saves by Carey Price. Price made 12 of those stops in a spotless third period, while P.K. Subban and Tomas Plekanec also scored. Montreal and Toronto were both 14-9-3 entering the game and the Canadiens avenged a 4-3 home loss to the Maple Leafs on Oct. 1. "Before the game they were even with us but we have to prove a lot against them, especially after the first game this season," said Pacioretty. "Its a good feeling that everyone contributed tonight." Price is 7-9-1 with a 2.42 GAA in 17 lifetime encounters with the Devils. Looking to get on a roll, the Devils have to be pleased to see a trip to the Bell Centre on the schedule. New Jersey has picked up a point in nine straight trips to Montreal since a 4-0 loss on March 11, 2008. The Devils won eight in a row at the Bell Centre before suffering a 4-3 overtime setbback in their most recent trip there on Jan.dddddddddddd 27. The Devils are 4-1-1 in the past six meetings overall and host the Canadiens on Wednesday. Streaky New Jersey followed up a three-game win streak from Nov. 16-21 with three straight regulation setbacks. The Devils snapped that skid with a 5-2 win at Carolina on Friday, splitting a home-and-home set with the Hurricanes, before edging the Buffalo Sabres 1-0 in overtime the following day. Steve Bernier notched the winner with 40.2 seconds left in the bonus frame, rifling a wrister from the top of the left circle past Buffalos Jhonas Enroth. Defenseman Andy Greene assisted on the goal to give him a goal and five helpers over a five-game point streak. "You never know what can happen when you shoot the puck," Bernier said of his first goal in 20 games. "Thats exactly what I tried, and I scored. Its nice for sure." Cory Schneider stopped all 15 shots he faced to notch his second shutout of the season and 11th of his career. He is just 4-5-3 in 12 games this season despite an excellent 1.72 goals against average and .927 save percentage. Schneider started for the Devils on back-to-back days and the Montreal-born Martin Brodeur is expected to start this game versus the Canadiens. He is 19-8-1 with a 1.62 GAA and five shutouts in 29 career starts at the Bell Centre. 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