President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Amaju Pinnick has declared his intention to contest for a seat on the FIFA Council.
Pinnick in a statement on Monday, November 9, 2020 revealed that he decided to vie for a seat on the FIFA Council “following consultations far and wide and within the broad spectrum of continental and global footballing interests and concerns”.
“For me, it has never been a matter of personal ambition. Always, it has been the passion for service and desire to change the old ways of things and embrace wholeheartedly the new and exciting, and more innovative and impactful ways,” he also said in his statement.
The 37-member FIFA Council is the main decision-making body of the world football body that sets the vision for FIFA and global football.
Africa has seven members on the Council led by the president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Ahmad Ahmad who doubles as vice president of the Council by virtue of his position as head of African football.
Other members from CAF include Constant Omari from DR Congo, Egypt’s Hany Abo Rida, Walter Nyamilandu from Malawi, Burundi’s Lydia Nsekera, Guinea’s Almamy Kabele Camara and Tarek Bouchamaoui from Tunisia.
Pinnick will be looking to replace Camara on the Council when the elections are held at the Congress of the Confederation of African Football in March 2021 in Rabat, Morocco.
Backing Motsepe
The announcement by the NFF boss also ends speculation that he was planning to run for the CAF Presidency.
Instead, Nigeria’s top football administrator is backing South African mining billionaire and Africa’s 10th richest man Patrice Motsepe for CAF’s top job.
“He has more superior qualities than me,” Pinnick told BBC Africa about his support for Motsepe.
“It's not about me, it's about African football If you have someone with superior qualities, you have to learn from him and queue behind him and wait for your time."
Pinnick’s support of Motsepe comes after he fell out with current CAF President Ahmad whom he supported in 2016 to oust longtime President Issa Hayatou.
His fall-out with Ahmad boss saw him unable to get another term as one of the vice presidents at the confederation as the CAF boss decided against backing him.
Pinnick has been NFF president since 2014 and won re-election in 2018. He has also held several positions in CAF including being a member of the Executive Committee and President of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Planning Committee.