"Politics happened," Amaju Pinnick laments after losing FIFA council seat

• Former NFF president Amaju Pinnick fell just one vote short of retaining his seat on the FIFA Council after a fiercely contested election in Cairo
• Pinnick, who secured 28 votes, lost out to Djibouti’s Souleiman Waberi, who grabbed the final seat with 29 votes
• The election saw Morocco’s Fouzi Lekjaa emerge as the frontrunner with 49 votes, while other successful candidates included officials from Egypt, Niger, and Mauritania

After nearly three decades of rising through the ranks of football administration, Amaju Pinnick has found himself reflecting on his journey rather than celebrating another term on the FIFA Council. 

The former Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) president narrowly missed out on re-election during the 14th Extraordinary General Assembly of the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

The important election determined Africa’s representatives on the 37-member FIFA Council, with seven seats allocated to the continent. Pinnick, seeking a return to the global football body, fell agonisingly short, garnering 28 votes, just one less than Djibouti’s Souleiman Waberi, who clinched the final seat with 29 votes.

The election saw Morocco’s Fouzi Lekjaa leading the pack with 49 votes, while Egypt’s Hani Abou Rida and Niger Republic’s Djibrilla Hima Hamidou secured 35 votes each. Mauritania’s Ahmed Yahya and Waberi completed the list of successful candidates.

Despite the disappointment, Pinnick remained grateful and reflective, acknowledging how far he had come in football administration. 

He recalled starting as a volunteer at the 1999 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Nigeria, never imagining that he would one day become the country’s top football administrator,

“When I started 26 years ago, as a volunteer at the FIFA U-20 World Cup that Nigeria hosted, I never dreamed of reaching these heights,” Pinnick said.

The former NFF boss served two terms as president, leading Nigerian football between 2014 and 2022. During his tenure, he played significant roles in both CAF and FIFA, rubbing shoulders with some of the most powerful figures in world football.

Pinnick admitted that he had been confident of securing around 40 votes before the election but noted that “politics happened.” 

He insisted, however, that he held no bitterness, instead choosing to express gratitude to those who supported his candidacy,

“I campaigned hard and traveled 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 also extended appreciation to President Bola Tinubu, the NFF, and the National Sports Commission chairman, Shehu Dikko, for their backing. Pinnick described Tinubu’s public endorsement of his bid as deeply moving, saying it brought him close to tears.

CAF president Patrice Motsepe, who ran unopposed for a second term, retained his automatic seat on the FIFA Council. 

Africa’s seven FIFA Council seats include one reserved for the CAF President and another designated for a female representative.

Although Pinnick’s FIFA ambitions were halted for now, he expressed pride in his achievements, stating that his journey from an NFF electoral committee chairman in 2014 to the youngest-ever Nigerian on the FIFA Council was more than fulfilling.

The newly elected members will now take on the responsibility of shaping global football policies, making key decisions on international tournaments, and guiding the sport’s future development worldwide.

“I rushed to meet his dad,” Ex-NFF boss Pinnick reflects on convincing Lookman to join Super Eagles

Previously, TheRadar reported that Amaju Pinnick, former president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), has revealed the extensive efforts that culminated in Ademola Lookman’s first competitive appearance for the Super Eagles in March 2022. 

The revelation comes after Lookman was crowned African Footballer of the Year on Monday, December 16 in Morocco, a milestone Pinnick regards as validation of the groundwork laid during his tenure.