Nigeria: FIFA Seat – Why Galadima Failed – Adedoja

Daily Independent (Lagos)

Tony Ezimakor

15 March 2011

Abuja — Minister and Chairman National Sports Commission Taoheed Adedoja has exonerated the team he led to Sudan in February for the poor performance of Ibrahim Galadima at the recent concluded FIFA executive committee elections even as he attributed the failed bid to the late start of the campaign.

Galadima polled just five votes to finish bottom of the log amid the disunity in the Nigerian camp.

But Adedoja noted during chat with newsmen Tuesday the former NFA chairman was nominated barely five months ago while his rivals for the FIFA position have been on the campaign trail for years.

He maintained that the Galadima campaign team did very well winning five votes and could not have done any better given the time constraints.

“I was just an errand boy of government and I can tell you that the team did well; the nomination was in August last year and I came in January. The people our candidate was up against have been lobbying since four years ago”.

“His election was well managed; the campaign should have started at least three years ago. We tried and I think the platform we have set as a result of the campaign is the beginning. Lobbying for the next election in 2015 has even started”, he said adding that Nigerians should be patient.

He maintained that despite the fact that government fully supported Galadima’s bid, the most of the people in the federations have their own personal interest to protect.

According to Adedoja, the fact that Galadima was not inside the CAF football family also played against the bid since he could not on his own effectively use such influence to sway some of the votes.

He therefore insisted that for anyone to aspire to the FIFA position that it would be better if he is within the CAF football family adding that the other six contestants for the FIFA executive position were all members of CAF

“We have to start from the basic which is CAF. If we want our position in FIFA again we have to start from CAF; we must belong to CAF. Our candidate must play the politics of CAF. All the people he contested against have been there for years so you cannot come and blame me,” he said.

Adedoja, who tactically refrained from any reference to possible negative influence of non -withdrawal of Amos Adamu, the suspended CAF/FIFA executive committee on the work of the committee declared that government will to support aspirants for international sports politics.

AllAfrica – All the Time