By Oluwashina Okeleji BBC Sport, Lagos

Nigeria fans could be smiling as sport may receive a budget after all

Parliament had refused to approve the budget unless the Nigeria Sports Commission (NSC) accounts for 37 million dollars of its 2007 allocation.

Without a budget, Nigeria would then go into the Nations Cup finals and 2010 World Cup qualifiers with no government support.

Of the 43 million dollars allocated for 2007, the NSC has accounted for only six million dollars.

But the chair of the Senate Committee on Sports, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, says that he will now study the 2007 expenditure submitted by the NSC.

A final verdict from the committee is expected on Monday.

Mediation for NFA and NFL

The committee also set up a five-man panel to mediate in the long-running fall-out between the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) and Nigeria Football League (NFL).

"We are not here to witch-hunt anyone but rather to rescue football in the country," said Lokpobiri.

"We hope this committee will bring an end to this embarrassing crisis."

Among other issues, the NFL claim that they, and not the NFA, have authority to appoint match officials for league games.