Amaju Melvin Pinnick of Nigeria was in a strong position to retain his seat on the 37-member FIFA Council, the highest governing body for world football, until last Wednesday’s 14th Extraordinary General Assembly of the Confederation of African Football in Cairo, Egypt. However, everything changed as soon as the votes were cast.
Prior to the elections, Pinnick, who some of us have referred to as Nigeria’s elegant football administrator, was leading the field in the race for the five seats that were left out of the seven in the Marriott Mena House.
Considering that Africa has seven FIFA Council seats—two of which are reserved for women and the incumbent CAF President—Pinnick and the other contenders competed for the five seats that were up for grabs.
With incumbent Isha Johansen from Sierra Leone and CAF’s current fifth vice president, Kanizat Ibrahim from the Comoros Islands, campaigning against each other, the race was undoubtedly challenging.
Because of the individuals involved, some journalists and authors described the competition for the remaining FIFA Council seats as the most fierce ever.
There were the Ivorian Yacine Idriss Diallo, Senegal’s Augustin Senghor, Niger Republic’s Djibrilla “Pele” Hima Hamidou, Zambia’s Andrew Kamanga, Mauritanian Ahmed Yahya, Benin Republic’s Mathurin De Chacus, and Djibouti’s Souleman Hassan Waberi all in contention.
But at the 14th CAF Extraordinary General Assembly in Cairo, Egypt, former Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) president Amaju Pinnick was only one vote away from being re-elected to the FIFA Council.
Which clearly means Pinnick’s term on the FIFA Council, where he has represented African football since 2021, came to an end when he garnered 28 votes, narrowly trailing Ahmed Yahya of Mauritania and Souleiman Waberi of Djibouti, who both received 29 votes to gain the remaining seats to make it to the exalted panel.
In the CAF Executive Committee elections, Alfred Randriamanampisoa (Madagascar) withdrew before the vote, leaving Elvis Chetty (Seychelles), Sobha Mohamed Ally Samir (Mauritius) and Feizal Ismael Sidat (Mozambique) to contest for two COSAFA seats. In the event, Sobha Samir and Feizal Sidat were successful.
For FIFA Council Seats, we have Patrice Motsepe (South Africa); Fouzi Lekjaa (Morocco); Hany Abou Rida (Egypt); Djibrilla ‘Pele’ Hima Hamidou (Niger Republic); Ahmed Yahya (Mauritania), Souleman Hassan Waberi (Djibouti). Female Seat: Kanizat Ibrahim (Comoros)
While for the CAF Exco Seats, Samuel Eto’o (UNIFFAC) along with six others were successful. His contributions to the growth of football in Cameroon are multifaceted, encompassing his success as a player, his leadership as president of the Cameroon Football Federation (FECAFOOT), and his humanitarian work using football as a tool for positive change.
Eto’o, the former football star, is known for his philanthropy through the Samuel Eto’o Foundation, which focuses on education, health, and social inclusion for children and youth in Cameroon and beyond.
The mission of the foundation: The Samuel Eto’o Foundation was founded in 2006 with the goal of safeguarding children and youth by advancing social inclusion, health, and basic education.
Focus Areas: The three primary areas of work for the foundation are sport, education, and health.
Health: Providing the necessities for survival and basic health in order to solve regional health concerns.
Education: Giving young people a foundational, high-quality education to help them integrate into society.
Sport: Supporting the growth and training of talented young football players while also using the game to uplift and empower young people.
Initiatives and Projects include:
Samuel provided the “Samuel Eto’o Fils” Pavilion, a pediatric section at Laquintine Hospital in Douala that saves thousands of young lives annually.
Orphanages and Scholarships: The foundation has provided funding for initiatives that promote community development, health, and education, including orphanages and scholarships.
Community Development: The foundation’s dedication to the welfare of the community is exemplified by initiatives like food distribution during the pandemic and road construction.
Supporting Disadvantaged Youth: The foundation provides opportunities for disadvantaged youth in Cameroon through education, sport, and health initiatives.
Inspiration and Legacy: He uses his public profile to raise awareness about the continent’s most pressing problems and inspire others to make a difference.
So this is the type of people that should be granted or allowed to occupy a position of authority in the society. As a result, I congratulated him and wished him luck in his future.
Speaking after the election, Amaju Melvin Pinnick was full of gratitude to God and to a throng of persons who contributed in one way or the other.
“When I started out 26 years ago, as a volunteer at the FIFA U20 World Cup that Nigeria hosted, I never dreamed of reaching these heights.
“Never thought I could become the number one administrator of football in Nigeria (and for eight years for that matter), play key roles in African football and easily mingle with the world’s top football governors,” he explained.
“Football politics is fierce, but I am proud to have fought a good fight. I campaigned hard; travelled to more than 30 countries. Hours before the election, I was sure of close to 40 votes. But politics happened. I am not bitter about anything, just full of gratitude to everyone who supported my push,” he explained.
The former NFF President, who also served as First Vice President of CAF between 2018 and 2019, thanked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as a person and the Government of Nigeria as a whole, as well as FIFA supremo Gianni Infantino, NSC boss Shehu Dikko, NFF President Ibrahim Musa Gusau and those he called friends in government and the corporate world.
“I am drawn to tears by the support of President Tinubu, right from the time he publicly endorsed my candidature. Kudos also to my friends in government and the corporate world,” he added.
In all honesty, I am neither pleased nor saddened by Mr. Pinnick’s situation in the recently finished FIFA Council elections. My action is only a result of his incompetent and unprofessional management of Nigerian football during his tenure as NFF President.
From his statements I didn’t notice anywhere where he talked about his contributions to the society. Unlike in Eto’o’s instance, our people are in positions for what they will get and not because they have something to contribute.
He undoubtedly benefited greatly from the system, but he did little to support its expansion. This is because, in my opinion, he achieved nothing noteworthy to advance the Nigeria Football Federation during the eight years that he served as president.
Because he and the individuals he infiltrated in the NFF are more concerned with power than with doing action, I view him as a prime example of an overbearing leader.
It is unfortunate that, in comparison to leagues in other small and tiny African republics, our leagues remain weak and mediocre due to the high level of corruption and high handedness that permeates our sport.
Additionally, that clarified why our leagues are never broadcast live for global viewing, unlike other African leagues, and also explained why our leagues fail to attract players from other nations.
Amaju Pinnick, as the former President of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF), faced election-related issues and court orders on two separate occasions.
In the first case, Yahaya Adama and another person filed a court complaint (FHC/J/CS/77/2016) against Maigari and others in 2016. The court’s ruling affected Pinnick’s leadership even though he was not a party to the lawsuit.
Festus Keyamo, the solicitor to the NFF, clarified that the Supreme Court of Nigeria had ruled that no court could issue an order against a person not party to a suit.
The Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) elections also caused problems for the former NFF president. He was charged with conducting elections twice during the federation elections and disobeying court orders.
An order prohibiting Pinnick from holding the NFF elections was given by a Federal High Court in Jos, Plateau State, in 2014. Nevertheless, Pinnick proceeded with the elections, which took place in Delta State’s Warri.
During the second instance: In 2018, the Nigeria Association of Footballers (NAF) sought a High Court order to stop the NFF elections led by Pinnick. But he declined to set up free and fair elections that would satisfy all stakeholders while he was in charge of the NFF.
Nigeria did not make it to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in 2015 or 2017. In order to stabilize the national team, his leadership appointed German coach Gernot Rohr in 2016, however there were just a few minor changes. Under his supervision, Nigeria earned a spot in the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Pinnick won Re-Election in 2018, thereby becoming the first NFF President to win a second term. But sadly, Nigeria failed to be in Qatar 2022 World Cup Qualification after losing to Ghana. Nigeria’s Super Eagles finished 3rd in AFCON 2019 but underperformed in AFCON 2021.
During his second administration, there were significant allegations of corruption, including financial mismanagement, but no one was found guilty.
Pinnick, who left the NFF and FIFA role, decided not to run for a third term in 2022, but he sowed the current leadership by holding an election under dubious court orders.
Despite all of this, I do not feel sorry for Amaju Pinnick, but I do hope that his background will serve as a useful lesson for those who wish to impose themselves as leaders of our sports.