By Duncan Mackay
British Sports Internet Writer of the Year
August 17 – Pressure to get the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) to postpone its elections due on Saturday (August 21) is continuing to build with Segun Odegbami , one of the country’s former top players, joining in the calls by petitioning FIFA President Sepp Blatter.
Odegbami, who was capped 46 times by Nigeria and led them to their first Africa Cup of Nations title in 1980, claims that the elections are illegal and should be stopped.
But FIFA has already warned the NFF and the Nigerian Government that if the elections are postponed then they face suspension from international football.
The Government had reportedly planned to call a press conference for later today to announce that the elections had been put back to December but the warning from FIFA had persuaded them to go ahead with them as planned.
There has also been actions filed in Nigeria’s High Court to try to block the elections being held.
At the heart of the complaints is whether the candidates standing for the NFF have been properly selected and put forward by their states and whether the voters have the proper constitutional powers to elect officers.
Odegbami’s petition to Blatter states: ”In consideration of the above, that the present situation of discontent amongst those participating in the present elections, the national elections be delayed for a short period to allow the State FAs and other members with a similar situation, to conduct their own elections.”
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