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 hold in Zurich, Switzerland on February 26, 2016. As the race to succeed him picks up, several of the candidates are facing probes over corruption scandals, which have boosted the candidacy of outsiders like Chief Odegbami.
Initially, Chief Odegbami faced a stiff challenge as former Abia State governor Orji Kalu announced his intention to also run for the Fifa presidency. However, Fifa regulations only allow each football association to field one candidate and the NFF had to decide on who to back.
Yesterday, the NFF held an executive committee meeting and it decided to throw its weight behind Chief Odegbami. Having secured the backing of the NFF, Chief Odegbami will now proceed to Zurich to formally submit his bid and after that will begin a marathon round of campaigning to win over delegates.
Chief Odegbami said: "Thanks to the grace of God I have received the backing of the NFF, so the next step now will be to file my application formally. I will be going to Zurich to do that, after which the campaign becomes official."
On Sunday, the Confederation of African Football (Caf) will be holding a meeting in Cairo to discuss the Fifa presidency and it is hoped that it will back Chief Odegbami's bid too. Given his popularity as a former Super Eagles skipper and Nigeria's second highest goalscorer, Chief Odegbami is considered the fans' choice.
Earlier this month, Mr Blatter said Africa had contributed so much to the development of football that it would not be out of place if the continent produces the next Fifa president. He added that Nigeria is an interesting football country which has participated in all Fifa competitions, winning the U-17 World Cup four times and doing well on the big stage.
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