President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick, has insisted that the conditions given by its Executive Committee for Nigerians who want to contest the FIFA presidency were in order.
Pinnick made these remarks on Television Continental (TVC) in Lagos, in response to Chief Olusegun Odegbami’s (one of the aspirants), condemnation the NFF criteria.
“The NFF is presently working to rebuild and repair the country’s football, in order that we can return to global reckoning. There are so many things we are doing to ensure this, and the NFF is determined that our country does not become a laughing stock as a result of another false step in the political sphere,” Pinnick said.
“As the NFF has stated, over the past four years, our country has lost two elections into FIFA/CAF seats. Our stock in football politics has dipped, and for this reason, we must weigh carefully every other step we wish to take again in that respect. The FIFA presidential race is a very serious matter, an intense affair that demands playing the political game on a global canvass.”
Pinnick also denied the conditions were created to target any of the aspirants.
“Our criteria is reasonable and sensible; this is not a matter for sentiment. We do not underestimate the capacity of the aspirants, but the FIFA presidential race involves too many things and rests on a lot of factors.”
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