Expdonaloaded Sports News; FIFA Presidency: NFF conditions not targeted at any candidate –Pinnick

THE stringent conditions laid out by the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF is not targeted at any as­pirant. These were the words of the NFF Presi­dent, Amaju Pinnick at the weekend on a sports pro­gram on TVC in Lagos.According to thenff. com, the President of the NFF noted that the con­ditions rolled out by the NFF Executive Commit­tee for Nigerians aspiring to be President of FIFA were perfectly in order and meant to ensure the aspirants make wide con­sultations before the real contest, stressing that the NFF was interested in pro­tecting the image of the country.


“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.
“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 said the condi­tions were not targeted at any aspirant and that they were simply designed to induct the determined per­sons into the furnace of football politics.
“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.”
Last Thursday, one – time Secretary General of then Nigeria Football Association, Hon. Sani Ahmed Toro gave strong backing to the conditions stipulated by the NFF, in­sisting that those who had opposed the conditions had their own motives.