Pinnick Loses Re-Election Bid Into FIFA Council

By Akinwale Kasali

The re-election bid of former President of the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, Amaju Melvin Pinnick has been dashed. He has failed in his bid for re-election into the FIFA Council.

The Delta State- born Pinnick failed to secure enough votes to retain his seat among the six electable African representatives on the Council.

At the 14th CAF Extraordinary General Assembly held on Wednesday in Cairo, Egypt, Pinnick garnered 28 votes—just one vote short of Mauritania’s Ahmed Yahya and Djibouti’s Souleiman Waberi, who secured the final two available slots.

The six elected African members for the FIFA Council are:

Faouzi Lekjaa (Morocco)

Ahmed Yahya (Mauritania)

Kanizat Ibrahim (Comoros)

Souleiman Waberi (Djibouti)

Hamidou Djibrilla (Niger)

Hani Abo Rida (Egypt).

Pinnick made history as the third Nigerian to be elected into the FIFA Council, following Oyo Orok Oyo and Amos Adamu.

He first secured his seat in March 2021 during the 43rd CAF Ordinary General Assembly in Rabat, Morocco.

Prior to his FIFA role, Pinnick served as the President of the NFF for two consecutive terms, from 2014 to 2022, before being succeeded by Ibrahim Gusau.