Former president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick has failed in his attempt to retain his seat on the FIFA Council after falling short in the voting process.
Pinnick did not secure enough votes to remain among the six African representatives elected to the council.
At the 14th Confederation of African Football (CAF) Extraordinary General Assembly held on Wednesday in Cairo, Egypt, Pinnick received 28 votes—just one vote less than Mauritania’s Ahmed Yahya and Djibouti’s Souleiman Waberi, who claimed the final two available slots.
The six elected African members for the FIFA Council are:
Hani Abo Rida (Egypt)
Faouzi Lekjaa (Morocco)
Ahmed Yahya (Mauritania)
Souleiman Waberi (Djibouti)
Hamidou Djibrilla (Niger)
Kanizat Ibrahim (Comoros)
Pinnick made history as the third Nigerian to serve on the FIFA Council, following Oyo Orok Oyo and Amos Adamu. He was first elected in March 2021 during the 43rd CAF Ordinary General Assembly in Rabat, Morocco. Before his role at FIFA, he led the NFF for two consecutive terms from 2014 to 2022, after which he was succeeded by Ibrahim Gusau.
The FIFA Council serves as the governing body responsible for making key decisions between FIFA Congress meetings. It consists of 37 members, each elected for renewable four-year terms.
In a related development, Patrice Motsepe has been re-elected as president of CAF for a second term.
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