There are strong indications that ex-international Chief Segun Odegbami and former Governor Orji Uzor Kalu, may not contest in the forthcoming FIFA elections.
A report from AIPS says only six candidates have come clear as at Monday, 26 October, the deadline day by which contenders for the Presidency of FIFA must submit their nomination papers.
Conspicuously missing on the list of six contenders are names of Chief Segun Odegbami and Orji Uzor Kalu, the two Nigerians who showed interest in the race to succeed outgoing President, Joseph Sepp Blatter.
According to AIPS, after two more contenders declared themselves over the weekend the ‘live’ field now has six candidates who look good to contest in the election.
The six contenders who appear ready to contest in the election are: Prince Ali bin Al Hussein of Jordan (former FIFA vice-president), ex-FIFA official Jerome Champagne, David Nakhid (one time Trinidad international), Michel Platini (suspended president of European federation UEFA), Asian confederation leader Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa (Bahrain) and South African businessman Tokyo Sexwale.
It would be recalled that Odegbami braced up on his FIFA presidency ambition recently when he released some promotional photos to champion the campaign.
The former Green Eagles skipper, Odegbami once said he had difficulties in getting the endorsement of the Nigerian Football Federation, NFF, headed by Amaju Pinnick.
For Odegbami’s compatriot; Orji Uzor Kalu, a recent news allegedly claimed that suspended FIFA President, Blatter has thrown his weight behind Kalu to be the next president of the world football body, but names of these Nigerias were not mentioned among the six contenders listed as as Monday.
Meanwhile, all contenders will have their submissions put through an integrity check by the Ethics Committee before being confirmed formally, as candidates to stand to succeed Sepp Blatter at the extraordinary congress next February 26.
UEFA has yet to decide whether to ‘run’ another candidate in case Michele Platini is not cleared by the ethics committee in time for the election congress.