FIFA Presidency: How Odegbami failed himself
By Odimegwu Onwumere
The former Governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu who
was severally massaged by public figures for the race but backed out at the
eleventh hour, and ex-FIFA executive committee member Amos Adamu who
tremendously endorsed Kalu, shared in the Odegbami’s affront. The Nigeria
Football Federation, NFF, was not left out of the bickering of Odegbami; just
as the President of the body, Amaju Pinnick was not left alone, either.
The former chairman of the National Institute for Sports
(NIS) and Nigeria skipper Odegbami nearly went barmy for this reason as no day
passed by without him appearing in the media to further his campaign of
denigration against Kalu or any of the marked persons or groups he felt were
behind his torment not to get the backing of other African countries in his
quest to be elected new FIFA boss.
Conversely, indications emerging since then have shown
Odegbami to be incorrect with his claims; he was just powerless to win the
required backing of five member associations, said experts. But instead he
would accept that his frail political standing and perceived sadistic nature
were behind his failure, he rather claimed that the NFF did not give him the support
that he needed.
Then-again, he was wrong as a report in The Nation, October
27 2015, said, “Odegbami, who was endorsed by the Nigeria Football Federation
(NFF) to run for the FIFA presidency in February, could not muster nominations
from five African soccer federations by Monday’s deadline to enable him stand
for the FIFA elections.”
Odegbami speaking haphazardly said that the NFF offered him
its support too late to meet Monday’s deadline. Again, he blamed himself,
saying, “That was their reaction to my letter sent to them two months ago. It
is preposterous.”
The difficulty to come to term with Odegbami’s
uncertain-statements was that the NFF he claimed was aloof gave him its
support, at least. But Odegbami would prefer denying this fact and accepting it
later or saying that the support came very late.
He exposed his boisterous self again by saying that he had
criticised de cream de la crème in the world of football. He started with his
uncouth criticism of what he said was the “long-standing Confederation of
African Football president Issa Hayatou.”
Odegbami who has a long rope of those he believed were
behind his aborted FIFA presidential ambition without holding anybody or group
liable said that his biased standing against Hayatou might have counted against
him.
“Of course there are local politics within the Nigerian and
African football system that pitches some of us against the established system.
I have been one of the most virulent critics of the perpetuity in office of
Issa Hayatou and I knew I was not one of his best friends,” he said.
Some analysts believed that Odegbami should better write a
book on football critiques rather than go for political positions in any
football bodies, as they could see his detractor-ship in the former. A football
commentator who would not want the name in print warned Odegbami to watch his
words.
“Odegbami should watch his words. It was a primary school
mistake for him to have aspired to contest in the first place when he never did
any homework on such post; or how many times did he work for FIFA before now,
in any capacity? He could not have expected to get favour from the same people
he had been fighting for years,” said the commentator.
NFF retorted
While Odegbami claimed that a mountain of persons and groups
fostered to his failure, the NFF warned him to stop his “campaign of calumny”
against the federation and prominent Nigerian football figures, Premium Times,
November 2 2015, reported.
“It also asked the ex-footballer to face up to the reality
that he undid his own campaign for a slot at the FIFA Presidency,” the source
said.
Adamu dismissed Odegbami’s allegation with a wave of hand,
saying it was a tissue of lies and cheap blackmail, stressing that such
frivolous allegation was not to be expected from a man of Odegbami’s status.
Speaking, Suleiman Yahaya-Kwande, Chairman of the NFF Media
and Publicity Committee, stated, “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. 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.”
Then-again for Yahaya-Kwande who’s said to be a member of
the House of Representatives: “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.”
Odegbami said the NFF wasted time in endorsing him. But in a
swift reaction, Yahaya-Kwande retorted, “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?”
Kalu replied Odegbami
Immediately Odegbami started running his mouth against some
persons and the NFF as reason he failed, on October 28, 2015, Kalu replied him.
Published in the New Telegraph, October 29, 2015, it was
stated that Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu’s camp hit out at Odegbami, in a statement from
Orji Uzor Kalu Media Centre, Abuja, which was signed by Mrs. Rubby Obinna.
The statement distanced Billionaire-Kalu from Odegbami’s
failure and warned the later against making unguarded statements against the
businessman.
“We would like to say that Kalu had no hand in Odegbami’s
failure. Kalu does not support the failure of anyone or take pleasure in the
disappointments of others,” the press statement read. “It was a campaign of
calumny gone too far by Odegbami against Kalu.
“It was obvious that Odegbami had harboured animosity
against Kalu. If not, Odegbami would not have uttered such heinous comments in
the media against Kalu.
“We suspect that Odegbami was on a campaign to pull Kalu
down by painting him black so that others would see him as a man who enjoys the
failure of others.”
The Centre concluded, saying that rather than blaming
everyone, Odegbami should take responsibility for his botched dream.
Adamu slammed Odegbami
Amos Adamu heatedly slammed Odegbami on October 29 2015
before newsmen, saying, “I didn’t sabotage Odegbami’s FIFA presidential
ambition.”
Premium Times, October 30 2015, reported, “An executive
member of Confederation of African Football, Amos Adamu has expressed “shock
and disbelief” over claims by an ex-international, Segun Odegbami, that he
(Adamu) sabotaged his plan to seek election as president of FIFA.”
Adamu averred in a statement by his media aide, Gabriel
Omonhinmin, on Thursday, October 29 2015, that it was not his duty as one of
the executive members of CAF to help Odegbami secure the support of four other
African countries after he was supposedly endorsed by the Nigerian Football
Federation (NFF) for the top job.
“It was absolutely the duty of Odegbami to go round other
African countries to campaign and sell whatever programmes he had, that would
improve not only the lot of Africa football but global football generally. If
he has done this successfully, I am sure he would have gotten the support of
four other African countries to contest the FIFA presidency as stipulated by
FIFA’s status,” Adamu said.
Adamu said that the statement by Odegbami that Kalu and he
were responsible for his failure was not only weak, but untrue and most
unfortunate. Adamu continued, saying that Odegbami was not prepared for the job
right from time as it was merely “a try your luck thing he did.”
“And what finally knocked him off the contest was his slim
knowledge of the rules and regulations guiding candidates who seek to occupy
FIFA presidency. These were his undoing.”
The source quoted Adamu to have said that right from the
very first time Odegbami made public his ambition to contest the exalted office
of FIFA Presidency, he (Odegbami) adopted a very wrong approach by spending
almost all the time he had available here in Nigeria lobbying and pleading with
the Nigerian Presidency and legislators to compel the Amaju Pinnick-led NFF to
endorse him at all cost.
“He stressed that when it now dawned on him (Odegbami) that
he had limited or no time on his hands to get other African countries to
support his bid, he rushed to Ghana and Benin Republic to solicit the support
of their Football Federations for his bid. When the President of Ghana and
Benin Republic Football Federations separately asked him whether or not he has
sought and gotten the support of Issa Hayatu, who is the President of CAF, for
the top job before coming to see them, Odegbami was alleged to have arrogantly
said he did not need Hayatu’s approval to succeed in his ambition to become
FIFA president,” Premium Times reported.
Pinnick frowned at Odegbami
The President of the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, Amaju
Pinnick told journalists on October 28 2015, after an emergency committee
meeting.
"Pinnick said the NFF after getting the final
government endorsement of Odegbami last Thursday forwarded same to him because
he was the person that substantially complied with the laid down requirements
needed for anybody to be presented as a candidate for the election slated to
take place in February, 2016," Vanguard, October 29 2015 reported.
According to Pinnick, as a federation the members were just
to nominate, which they thought that Odegbami had gotten the other
endorsements.
“Ours was to be the icing on the cake and at a point he said
all he needed was our nomination and we thought he had other nominations
because he is a very popular person not just in Africa but beyond. I did my
best as president of NFF,” said Pinnick.
Pinnick added that he was calling Odegbami every one hour,
and did not think the NFF did badly as a federation.
“Ordinarily when you are going for a contest like this,
there are 209 federations and you needed only five endorsements you should have
gotten it. And talking about the so-called sabotage, I don’t want to delve into
such a sensitive area, I don’t think it is true, nobody could have arm twisted
me. To me it is unfortunate that we lost out but we should leave it like that,
I will say we have learnt our lessons,” Pinnick concluded.
Supposed reason Odegbami joined the FIFA race
Making Odegbami a liar of his claim, from some quarters
emerged information that it was his gullibility and ‘let down’ on NFF and other
personalities that marred his ambition; also he had a mentality that since Kalu
is a Nigerian politician, he (Kalu) might not get the needed support from
Nigerians who see their politicians not to be living upto leadership
expectations. But Odegbami misfired, because he did not know that Nigerians
believed that Kalu had a clean bill as a politician.
According to a commentator, “Odegbami played a spoiler game.
Immediately he heard about Orji Uzor Kalu’s interest to vie for FIFA
presidency, he jumped out of his cave without a proper consultation. Now he is
complaining. Why won't he complain when he thought that he was clean than Orji
Uzor Kalu. As if Odegbami was a saint while Orji Uzor Kalu was the devil,
Odegbami was too judgmental against everybody and every institution of
football.”
For Yahaya-Kwande, “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.”
Presidency’s theoretical connection
It was observable that Odegbami’s outing had political
colouration. “I think the Nigerian government must call for an inquiry into the
circumstance surrounding the whole episode because I believe we just wasted a
rare opportunity for a Nigerian to take a shot at the FIFA presidency,” said
Odegbami at a press briefing.
A source said, “Odegbami was endorsed secretly by the
President of Nigeria through the All Progressives Congress, APC, leaders who
were majorly his kiths and kins, thinking that he could play the politics of
FIFA without considering whether he had what obtains to march other
contestants. Odegbami choose to interrupt when Nigerians could have queued
behind Kalu who, at least, had huge connection all over the world and, the
money as well.”
According to pointers made by Yahaya-Kwande, Nigeria was the
only country where more than one person showed interest in the race; it’s also
true that Kalu indicated his interest before Odegbami did. Yet, the authorities
eventually endorsed Odegbami.
ThisDay, October 28 2015, “Odegbami said his quest to vie
for the coveted position of FIFA's topmost position was doomed to fail from the
start as the lofty intention was treated with disbelief.”
Adamu challenged Odegbami to name the people who treated his
ambition with disbelief, or those who sabotaged his bid right from the word go,
asking Odegbami that if he was serious, why was he not in Cairo, Egypt for the
CAF meeting to personally lobby the African countries he thought were
favourably disposed to supporting his ambition?
“He said the ex-international’s claim that Mr. Pinnick, who
was in Cairo, Egypt, promised to use his weight to get the required five
endorsements, was laughable and childish,” reported the source.
Odegbami knew his lies
Segun Odegbami later made frantic effort to accept as lies
his claims that some persons and groups were behind his aborted FIFA presidency
aspiration.
In ThisDay, October 28 2015, Odegbami said he did not want
to say that the process was sabotaged from the word go but that’s the truth
staring the world in our faces. He also said that he thought his candidature
was shrouded in disbelief with some people asking, “Why him, he cannot win, he
is wasting our time, among other insinuations.”
Accepting his wrong soundtrack, Odegbami said, “I think the
whole exercise is all about bad blood, I did it. Nobody asked me to do it. It just
occurred to me that throughout the whole exercise nobody knew what the rules
say about vying for the office of FIFA president, which is not more than get
five endorsements and your federation’s backing.”
He concluded, “Right now it’s over for me, it’s a personal
thing. I started the race. Nigeria did not start the race for me. I took full
responsibility for everything.”
Odimegwu Onwumere is a Poet/Writer; he writes from Rivers
State, Nigeria.
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