This is not the first such incident in Nigeria with Okocha and Chukwu both failing to cast their votes in the Fifa 2004 World Footballer of the Year.

BBC: SPORT | Football | African | Okocha suffers award setback

Ronaldinho was the 2004 Fifa World Player of the Year and was instrumental in Barcelona's La Liga triumph last season.

BBC: SPORT | Football | Ronaldinho & Rooney scoop awards

This is not the first time that Kenya has fallen foul of Fifa having been banned from football in 2006 and 2004.

BBC: Mohammed Hatimy

The Fifa inspection team visited Morocco in early October, and will travel to Egypt, Tunisia and Libya before Fifa's executive announce the winning bid in May 2004.

BBC: SPORT | Football | African | Fifa team wraps up SA visit

Football's world governing body has awarded Africa the 2010 World Cup finals and will select the African host on 15 May 2004 in Zurich, the Swiss city where Fifa headquarters are based.

BBC: By Durosimi Thomas

The final round of Africa's Athens 2004 qualifiers, which start this weekend, continue periodically until March next year, yet Fifa says that European clubs can choose not to release their players for the games.

BBC: SPORT | Football | African | Africa snubbed by Fifa ruling