Amaju Pinnick Loses FIFA Council Re-Election Bid
By Damilola Adeleke
Former Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) President, Amaju Pinnick, has failed in his bid to retain his seat on the FIFA Council after losing out in the elections held during the 14th CAF Extraordinary General Assembly in Cairo, Egypt, on Wednesday.
Pinnick, who was seeking a second term, scored 28 votes, falling just one vote short of Mauritania’s Ahmed Yahya and Djibouti’s Souleiman Waberi, who both secured 29 votes to claim the final two available slots.
Full Results of FIFA Council Elections (Africa Seats)
- Fouzi Lekjaa (Morocco) – 49 votes
- Hani Abou Rida (Egypt) – 35 votes
- Djibrilla Hima Hamidou (Niger Republic) – 35 votes
- Ahmed Yahya (Mauritania) – 29 votes
- Souleiman Waberi (Djibouti) – 29 votes
- Amaju Pinnick (Nigeria) – 28 votes
- Andrew Kamanga (Zambia) – 19 votes
- Yacine Diallo (Guinea) – 18 votes
- Augustin Senghor (Senegal) – 13 votes
- Mathurin de Chacus (Benin Republic) – Pulled out
No Anglophone Representation on FIFA Council
Pinnick’s loss means that no Anglophone member from Africa made it to the FIFA Council, as all the elected members hail from Francophone countries.
The defeat comes as a surprise to many football analysts who had expected Pinnick to secure re-election, given his previous influence in African football administration.
Motsepe Re-Elected as CAF President
Meanwhile, South African business mogul, Patrice Motsepe, was re-elected unopposed as CAF President, extending his leadership until 2029.
Women’s FIFA Council Seat Election
Kanizat Ibrahim (Comoros) – 30 votes (Winner)
Lydia Nsekera (Burundi) – 13 votes
Isha Johansen (Sierra Leone) – 7 votes
CAF Executive Committee (Exco) Elections
Samuel Eto’o (UNIFFAC)
Wallace Karia (CECAFA)
Sadhi Walid (UNAF)
Mustapha Ishola Raji (WAFU A)
Kurt Edwin-Simeon Okraku (WAFU B)
Sobha Mohamed Ally Samir & Feizal Ismael Sidat (COSAFA)
Female Representative: Bestine Kazadi Ditabala (DR Congo)
With this loss, Pinnick no longer holds any active position in FIFA or CAF, marking the end of an era for Nigeria’s influence at the highest levels of world football administration.
