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 which includes football association officials and former players such as John Fashanu, 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.

The decision will put Nigeria on a collision course with FIFA who take a dim view of any political interference in the independent running of national federations.

"We have not received any official information on this subject. However, in general, the position of FIFA concerning political interference is well known," said a statement released in Johannesburg.

FIFA has already voiced its opposition to French government involvement as the fall-out from the 1998 champions' first round exit continues.

Raymond Domenech's squad were sent packing out of the tournament after losing 2-1 to South Africa bringing the curtain down on a dreadful campaign that saw a players' strike, insults hurled at the coach and a volley of criticism from politicians.

Domenech and ex-French Football Federation (FFF) president Jean-Pierre Escalettes were on Wednesday due to address a hearing of a French parliamentary commission into the debacle.

Nigeria's former goalkeeper Emmanuel Babayaro, said Jonathan's reaction to the Super Eagles' performance illustrated the depth of feeling in the country towards the team's 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 over due, 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."

A soccer 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".

str-sn/dj10

Fbl-WC2010-NGR

Brought to you by AAP © 2024 AAP