FORMER Super Eagles captain and Fifa presidential candidate Chief Segun Odegbami has protested the criteria set by the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) which candidates have to meet before getting nominated. 

Earlier this month, Chief Odegbami, popularly known as Mathematical Odegbami announced that he is running for Fifa presidency because the world football governing body needs a new era of leadership to restore dignity to the sport after recent scandals. So far, former Abia State governor Dr Orji Kalu and Chief Odegbami have signified their intention to run for the office but Fifa statutes dictate that candidates must have the backing of their national federation. 

Fifa rules also only allow a federation to present one candidate, so one of the two Nigerians has to either stand down for the other or the NFF has to organise a primary election. To resolve the matter, the NFF has set a series of stiff criteria for the candidates to meet, in the hope that the matter will resolve itself. 

NFF officials have decided that any prospective candidate must obtain endorsements from their state football associations, the National Sports Commission (NSC) and the Confederation of African Football (Caf).  However, in a letter addressed to the NFF president Amaju Pinnick, and copied to President Muhammadu Buhari, the Fifa general secretary and Caf President, Issa Hayatou, Chief Odegbami described the endorsements from the NSC and Caf as unnecessary. 

Chief Odegbami wrote: “I refer to my letter of August 26, 2015, addressed to you, in which I humbly requested nomination by the NFF to enable me to contest the vacant position of President of Fifa in the election coming up on February 26, 2016.  Whilst awaiting a formal response from you, it was with utter disbelief and shock to read of the conditions on a television programme that the NFF has set for Nigerian candidates. 

“I find the last two of these requests very bizarre and a product of a lack of familiarity with the guidelines for the Fifa presidential elections.” 

Current Fifa president Sepp Blatter, stepped down in June amid allegations of corruption within the federation and a congress to elect a new head will take place in Zurich, Switzerland on February 26, next year. Already, the head of Europe's football governing body Uefa, Michel Platini and former Brazilian star Zico, are in the contest, with other candidates likely to be Prince Ali bin Al-Hussein of Jordan, Luis Figo of Portugal, Senes Erzik of Turkey, Chung Mong-joon of South Korea and Ted Howard of America.