Odegbami architect of his failure, says NFF

In from Nifemi Daniel . . .

The Nigeria Football Federation has accused former Nigerian international player Olusegun Odegbami for his failure to secure a slot at the FIFA Presidency race following his inability to get the statutory five nominations needed to put him on the ballot for next year’s FIFA Presidential election.

Hon. Suleiman Yahaya-Kwande, Chairman of the NFF Media and Publicity Committee, in a statement issued in Abuja, warned the former Green Eagles’ captain to stop attributing his failures to eminent sports personalities such as Dr. Amos Adamu and Chief Orji Uzor Kalu.

“We are thoroughly disappointed at the conduct of Chief Odegbami since his failed bid.

“He was his own big problem, with the letter he wrote castigating the leadership of FIFA and CAF, which he brazenly copied to these eminent figures,” he said.

“We consider Chief Odegbami an elder statesman in Nigeria football, but he has been throwing a lot of tantrums lately. He has been accusing very prominent and illustrious persons of so many things, and imagining himself to be a saint.”

Yahaya-Kwande, also a ranking member of the House of Representatives, added that it was not the responsibility of the NFF to help in his campaign process but to give him moral support.

“The NFF is aware that Odegbami reached out to the Football Associations of Ghana, Togo, Benin Republic and Zambia. How is his failure the fault of the NFF? They told him to his face that they were opposed to him because of his statements against the President of CAF, who is now Acting FIFA President.

Read also: FIFA presidency: NFF sabotaged my bid, Odegbami cries

“He said the NFF wasted time in endorsing him. As far back as September 8, we set out conditions for himself and Chief Orji Kalu to meet before we could endorse either of them. We always emphasized extensive consultations by the aspirants. It is outrightly mischievous for him to give the impression that the NFF was his problem. The NFF President was in Cairo, Egypt to campaign for him for the five nominations, but where was Odegbami himself on the day that mattered?

“Let it be said that Nigeria was the only country where more than one person showed interest in the race. Odegbami was a great football player and brought honour to Nigeria, but Chief Kalu also brought honour to Nigeria through extensive support for Enyimba to win top laurels. It is also true that Kalu indicated his interest before Odegbami did. Yet, we eventually endorsed Odegbami.”

Yahaya-Kwande emphasized that none of the candidates who eventually got on the ballot relied solely on their National Association to get the five nominations for them.

“Odegbami has this strange idea that everyone else is tainted and he is not! He worked against himself. It is not NFF’s problem; it is his problem, entirely.”

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