Nigeria Reverses Ban At Last Minute

ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday reversed a ban on the national soccer team taking part in international matches, hours before a threatened suspension by world soccer's governing body FIFA.

"The ban has been reversed. The reversal was due to pleading by many Nigerians," a source in the Nigerian presidency said, asking not to be named.

Jonathan last week suspended the team from international competitions for two years following an embarrassing performance in the World Cup. The Super Eagles were knocked out in the first round after failing to win a game.

FIFA had given Nigeria until Monday evening to change its decision and escape being barred from all FIFA-related activities.

The Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) on Sunday fired its top two officials and offered an "unreserved apology" for the team's dismal performance in a last-minute bid to reverse Jonathan's directive.

(Reporting by Felix Onuah; Writing by Nick Tattersall, Editing by Ossian Shine)