Former Nigerian football supremo
Amos Adamu on Friday blamed what he said was the FIFA “mafia” for his two-year
ban from the game for ethics violations.
Adamu, who sat on the world
governing body’s executive committee and was West African Football Union
president from 2008-10, was excluded from all football-related activity from
February 28.
The 62-year-old was previously
handed a three-year ban in 2010 for accepting bribes in relation to the bidding
process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
Adamu
claimed the exclusions were a settling of scores because of internal politics
and infighting linked to previous competitions and the running of the
Confederation of African Football (CAF).
“It’s
the work of the mafia. We’re dealing with the mafia… that’s my problem,” he
told Nigerian sports radio station Bila FM.
Adamu’s
latest ban relates to his involvement in his son’s organisation of a dinner in
2010 for African football legends while he was a member of the FIFA executive
committee.
It
comes as the long-standing CAF president Issa Hayatou of Cameroon seeks
re-election against opposition from Madagascar’s Ahmad Ahmad.
Adamu
accused FIFA president Gianni Infantino of leading a campaign to oust Hayatou
after 29 years and replace him with Ahmad, who has been in Nigeria campaigning
this week.
The
former official said Hayatou had “done so much for African and Nigerian
football. Nigeria will continue to gain more from CAF under Hayatou as he has
been there for us”.
“There
is no reason to go for somebody we don’t know,” he added.
The
current NFF president Amaju Pinnick, along with 11 other African federation
bosses, met Infantino in Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare, recently and pledged his
support for Ahmad.
That
put him at odds with the NFF executive committee and the country’s sports
minister, who said they would vote in “Nigerian interest” at next month’s
election.
Amadu
revealed he has “had enough of football politics” and found religion instead.
“My
calling is different now. My life has changed. My focus has changed. I’m back
in the seminary now to serve God,” he added.
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