Adamu battling to save seat on FIFA Executive Committee

By David Owen

January 13 – Amos Adamu (pictured) is attempting to retain a seat on FIFA’s ruling 24-member Executive Committee for another four years.

The Nigerian, one of two Committee members suspended towards the end of last year following an investigation by the Sunday Times, is among potential candidates for two seats that come up for re-election at next month’s Ordinary General Assembly of the Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF), African football’s governing body.

Adamu’s candidature is subject to the decision of the FIFA Appeal Committee, following the Nigerian’s move to challenge a three-year ban on any kind of football-related activity imposed by FIFA’s Ethics Committee in November.

Should the ban not be lifted before February 23, when the CAF Assembly is scheduled to take place in Khartoum, then another Nigerian – Alhaji Ibrahim Galadima – appears set to run in Adamu’s place.

FIFA told insideworldfootball today that no date had yet been confirmed for the Appeals Committee, while acknowledging that it had received appeals from both Adamu and Reynald Temarii, the other FIFA Executive Committee member suspended at the same time.

The other seat up for re-election in Khartoum is that occupied by Côte d’Ivoire’s Jacques Anouma, who is running for re-election.

Of the four other candidates, the best known outside Africa is Danny Jordaan, a key figure behind South Africa’s successful staging of last year’s World Cup.

Kalusha Bwalya is Zambia’s most-capped player and all-time top goalscorer, having run up a century of caps over a span of more than two decades, ending in 2004.

Algeria’s Mohamed Raouraoua is said to be a confidant of CAF President Issa Hayatou, while Suketu Patel from the Seychelles is chairman of CAF’s finance committee.

The winning candidates will sit on FIFA’s Executive Committee until 2015.

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