CAF EXCO:NIGERIA RISKS 6 YEARS SHUT OUT UNLESS… -BASSEY

Nigeria's hopes of regaining CAF and FIFA seats which she lost through Amos Adamu's suspension by FIFA might tarry a little longer than six years if the lackadaisical attitude of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) continues.

This was the submission of Paul Bassey, CAF Media Committee member in an interactive session with Daily Sunsports recently.

His forecast is based on the inability of the football house to identify a candidate or candidates who would fly Nigeria's flag and also set up a committee of foot soldiers that would sell the candidate to other countries.

According to him, the campaign to produce a member of either CAF or FIFA executive committee is not a year's job and wondered why with the calibre of men and women who aboundin the country, NFF is yet to make up its mind on one of them.

He said it would be disastrous for Nigeria to be shut out for a minimum of six years because of our contribution to football development in Africa and the worlds at large. ' The scenario that knocked Alhaji Ibrahim Galadima out of the contest for FIFA seat is playing back itself', Bassey stated. It might be worse for Nigeria in 1014 in Libya because no structure is on ground to suggest that we are ready to take back the seat vacated by Adamu. Worse still is the lack of attention by NFF that is supposed to nominate a candidate to be sold to other countries.

'The election to CAF or FIFA executive committee is not a year's project and I thought those in NFF should have suggested some names that would be considered by both the ministry and the Presidency.

'Be that as it may be, action must commence immediately to save Nigeria from further embarrassment.

'Different committees would be set up to canvass support for Nigeria as acceptability of any candidate is not done in one year and I think the Sudan experience should be our guide, he said.