Segun Odegbami gets APFON’s backing for FIFA presidency bid

Executive secretary of the Association of Professional Footballers of Nigeria, Austin Popo, has stated that APFON are supporting Segun Odegbami’s bid to succeed under-fire Sepp Blatter as the next president of The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA)...

Odegbami is nicknamed Mathematical for his precise style of play. He was famous for running down the touchline with the ball to prevent opponents from getting it. Odegbami is regarded as one of the greatest Nigerian players of all-time.

On September 2015, the former Nigeria national football team captain stated his intention to run for the FIFA presidential election billed to hold on
February 26th, 2016.

The Nigeria Football Federation endorsed the candidacy of the former ex-Shooting Stars forward during the past week.

And now Popo has made public APCON’s backing of the administrator who has vied for elective posts in the NFF in the past.

In a statement, Popo said: “The Association of Professional Footballers of Nigeria (APFON), the official Nigeria Players Union has commended the leadership of the Nigeria Football Federation for their foresight and wisdom for nominating Segun Odegbami as Nigeria choice to contest for FIFA president.”

“The Union was not expecting anything less, or doubted the ability of leadership of the NFF to make the right choice, given the visionary leadership qualities of members of the board of the NFF.

“The Union applauds the NFF’s nomination of Odegbami and by this act the NFF has once again scored another feat in its untiring quest to reposition Nigeria Football. The Union wants all Nigerians to rally round Odegbami as Nigeria choice towards the big stage.”

“Nobody gave David any chance against Goliath, more so that the hitherto Goliaths in FIFA are gradually falling apart. God can do anything to get anything.”

Odegbami now joins Michel Platini, Jerome Champagne, Prince Ali bin al-Hussein and David Nakhid, a former Trinidad and Tobago player, in meeting
Monday’s deadline to apply for the February emergency election. More contenders are set to stand.

Platini is suspended by the FIFA ethics committee and unlikely to be accepted as a candidate. The UEFA president is appealing against his ban for taking a $2m salary payment nine years after he worked as Blatter’s personal adviser.

Blatter, who is also suspended for paying Platini from FIFA funds in 2011, called the election amid a deepening corruption crisis in June. He announced his planned exit just four days after winning re-election despite FIFA then being subject to American and Swiss criminal investigations of bribery and suspected money-laundering.