Former NFF President Amaju Pinnick Loses Re-election, Fails to Retain FIFA Council Seat

• The former President of the Nigerian Football Federation, Amaju Pinnick, has lost his re-election to the FIFA Council
• Pinnick finished outside of the top five during the election held at CAF’s Extraordinary General Assembly in Egypt
• South African billionaire Patrice Motsepe will continue as CAF President till 2029 after going unopposed in the election

The former President of the Nigerian Football Federation, Amaju Pinnick, will not be returning to the FIFA Council after losing his re-election during the CAF elections.

Pinnick, who was seeking reelection, finished outside of the top five at the elections held at the CAF Extraordinary General Assembly in Cairo, Egypt.

The former Delta State FA chairman finished sixth with 28 votes behind Djibouti's Souleiman Waberi, who scored 29 votes and tied Mauritania’s Ahmed Yahya to pick the final spots.

Pinnick, who served as NFF President from 2014 to 2022 and CAF's first vice-president from 2018 to 2019, was hoping to secure another term of four years but failed.

According to Sports News Africa, there were 12 candidates in the running for six spots and the winners were Faouzi Lekjaa (Morocco), Hany Abo Ridha (Egypt), Hamidou Djibrilla Hima (Niger), Kanizat Ibrahim (Comoros), Ahmed Yahya (Mauritania) and Souleiman Waberi.

The full vote count

Faouzi Lekjaa (49 votes)

Hany Abo Ridha (35 votes)

Hamidou Djibrilla Hima (35 votes)

Kanizat Ibrahim (30 votes)

Ahmed Yahya (29 votes)

Souleiman Waberi (29 votes)

Amaju Pinnick (28 votes)

Kamanga (19 votes)

Yacine Idriss Diallo (18 votes)

Augustin Senghor (13 votes)

Lydia Nsekera (13 votes)

Isha Johansen (7 votes)

The seventh spot allotted for Africa is retained for CAF President Patrice Motsepe, who won his re-election unopposed for another term of four years.

As noted by Channels TV, Pinnick was the third Nigerian to be elected to the FIFA council. Late Etubom Orok Oyo and Amos Adamu were the other persons from the West African nation to have occupied that post.

His loss represents a significant shift in African football leadership as he has been part of the structure for over 11 years. It also means a setback for Nigeria’s voice at FIFA's table.

There are reports that he pockets about $310,000 per annum holding the office from FIFA and CAF remunerations.

Patrice Motsepe remains CAF President till 2029

Meanwhile, South African business entrepreneur Patrice Motsepe has been re-elected unopposed as President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), extending his leadership of the continent’s footballing body until 2029.

The announcement was made during CAF’s Extraordinary General Assembly held at the foot of the iconic Pyramids of Giza in Cairo, Egypt - a symbolic location for a meeting focused on the future of African football.

Pinnick represented Nigeria

Legit.ng previously reported that Pinnick represented Nigeria during CAF’s hearing into the botched Libya vs Nigeria’s AFCON 2025 qualifier match.

The Super Eagles of Nigeria were held hostage at Al Abraq International Airport, and the former FIFA executive council member represented Nigeria during the hearing.