He apparently feared that the Nigerian government would bow to pressure from the US to hand him over to the UN-backed court to stand trial.

BBC: Liberia's Charles Taylor 'wants presidential pension'

Fifa, aware that football's presence in the Olympics has long been a source of discomfort both within the game and among other sports, has been keen to find an alternative to the under-23 model, and will not have been happy to bow to pressure from the IOC.

BBC: Olympic football keeps under-23 rule as Fifa relents

They might also bow to union pressure to block Walmart from entering the local market, flouting polls showing that two-thirds of the city want the retailer's low prices.

ECONOMIST: A city in need of fearless leadership