Former Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) president Amaju Pinnick narrowly missed re-election to the FIFA Council, losing by a single vote at the Confederation of African Football (CAF) General Assembly held in Cairo on Wednesday.
Mr Pinnick, who had been serving on FIFA’s highest decision-making body since 2021, polled 28 votes, just one shy of Djibouti’s Souleiman Waberi, who secured the last available seat with 29 votes.
Morocco’s Fouzi Lekjaa topped the election with 49 votes, while Egypt’s Hani Rida and Niger’s Djibrilla Hamidou garnered 35 votes each. Mauritania’s Ahmed Yahya and Waberi also claimed seats with 29 votes apiece.
The result is a setback for Pinnick, who had hoped to extend his tenure on the council, where he had become the third Nigerian to serve after Oyo Orok Oyo and Amos Adamu.
Pinnick was first elected to the FIFA Council in March 2021 at the CAF General Assembly in Rabat, Morocco.
The FIFA Council, consisting of 37 members elected for renewable four-year terms, serves as the principal decision-making body of the global football federation between congresses.
Pinnick, who served as NFF president from 2014 to 2022, was succeeded by Ibrahim Gusau after completing two terms. His defeat marks a turning point for Nigerian representation on the global football stage.
Meanwhile, South Africa’s Patrice Motsepe was re-elected unopposed as CAF president for a second term during the assembly.
