Governing Bodies
FIFA COUNCIL CANDIDATE, PINNICK, PICKS UP SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARD
Candidate for a seat on the FIFA Council, the highest decision-making organ in football in the universe, Amaju Melvin Pinnick will on Saturday be honoured with a Special Recognition Award at the maiden edition of the Sportsville Awards in Lagos.
Chairman of Sportsville Communications (organizers of the Awards), Frank Ilaboya, said the award is in recognition and appreciation of the tireless efforts of the President of Nigeria Football Federation towards putting Nigeria in a prominent place of pride in world football both on the field and in the boardroom.
“Sportsville Communications is not unaware of the boundless energy and the unflagging enthusiasm with which Mr Pinnick has been pursuing the issue of uplifting Nigerian Football to a higher pedestal on the field and in the boardroom, since he was first elected as President of NFF in September 2014.
He scores high in aggressive marketing and is matchless in seeking high visibility for Nigeria in football’s high table,” stated Ilaboya.
A total of 10 prominent Nigerians will be honoured at the awards ceremony holding at the Ibis Royale Hotel on Saturday. Governor Ezenwo Nyesom Wike of Rivers State; Edo State Deputy Governor Philip Shaibu; NOC President and IOC Member, Habu Ahmed Gumel; NBBF President Musa Kida; Nigeria Women Football League boss, Aisha Falode; NFF Executive Member and Enyimba FC Chairman, Felix Anyansi-Agwu; foremost media entrepreneur and owner of Radio Brila, Dr Larry Izamoje; Ebi Egbe of Monimichelle Ltd and; foremost Supporters Club president, Dr Rafiu Olalere Oladipo are the others.
“We have put in place measures to ensure full compliance with COVID-19 protocols and guidelines at the Awards. All the measures and protocols as outlined and instructed by the Federal Ministry of Health, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports will be observed at the event,” Ilaboya added.
Pinnick, who is both Member of the Executive Committee of the Confederation of African Football and Member of the Organizing Committee for FIFA Competitions, was on Tuesday issued a clearance letter by world governing body, FIFA, as being eligible to contest for a seat on the 37-member FIFA Council that is the supreme body for football administration in the universe.
Clearance for committee appointments or candidacy for positions in FIFA usually come after rigorous eligibility checks and thorough scrutiny of the social, moral and political credentials, as well as public service records of the individuals concerned. Pinnick has now passed the tough tests on three occasions: for appointment into the Organizing Committee for FIFA Competitions, for election into the CAF Executive Committee and for the forthcoming FIFA Council election.
The FIFA Council elections come up in Rabat, Morocco on Friday, 12th March 2021 during the 43rd Ordinary General Assembly of the Confederation of African Football, and on the eve of the commencement of the U17 Africa Cup of Nations in that country.
Only two Nigerians have sat on the world’s supreme football –decision making organ previously: Oyo Orok Oyo and Dr Amos Adamu.
By Kunle Solaja.
Nigeria is set to host the 48th Ordinary General Assembly of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), marking the third time the country will stage the continent’s top football gathering.
The development was confirmed in a statement issued by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), which disclosed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on the sidelines of the ongoing Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, approved Nigeria’s proposal to host the event.
The approval followed a meeting between President Tinubu and CAF President Patrice Motsepe, attended by Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, NFF President Ibrahim Musa Gusau, former NFF President and Special Adviser to the CAF President Amaju Melvin Pinnick, as well as CAF Acting General Secretary Samson Adamu.
Sports Villages Square affirms that Nigeria previously hosted the CAF Congress at the National Theatre in Lagos in March 1980 and again in February 2009, when the late CAF President Issa Hayatou secured another four-year term in office.
In addition to this year’s 48th Ordinary General Assembly, scheduled for October, Nigeria also secured the hosting rights of the CAF Awards ceremony. The annual awards gala, which celebrates Africa’s top football performers, has been staged in Morocco over the past three years.
Nigeria had earlier hosted the CAF Awards when telecom firm, Globacom, was the headline sponsor. This year’s event will be the seventh to be held in Nigeria after those of 2005, 2008, 2009, 2013, 2014 and 2016.
The CAF Ordinary General Assembly traditionally attracts key football stakeholders from across the continent, including presidents of CAF’s 54 member associations, representatives of the six zonal unions and senior football administrators.
The CAF Awards ceremony is regarded as one of African football’s flagship events, honouring outstanding players, coaches, clubs and officials in a glamorous setting that showcases the continent’s football excellence.
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FIFA’s independent Ethics Committee has banned former Guyana Football Federation (GFF) General Secretary Ian Alves from all football-related activities for five years after finding he sexually harassed female staff members.
FIFA also fined Alves 20,000 Swiss francs ($22,000) after determining that he had breached provisions of the FIFA Code of Ethics relating to the protection of physical and mental integrity, abuse of position and general duties.
“FIFA has a strict stance against all forms of abuse in football,” the organisation said on Monday.
The decision followed a review of written statements from the victims, documents provided by the GFF, submissions from Alves, and other evidence gathered during the investigation.
Alves stepped down from his position in 2024.
The ban came into force on Monday, when the terms of the decision were notified to Alves, and the full grounds for the ruling will be communicated within 60 days in accordance with the Code of Ethics, FIFA added.
The GFF did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Alves could not immediately be reached for comment.
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FIFA President Gianni Infantino said on Thursday that he planned to seek re-election for a fourth term in a bid to continue to lead the governing body of world soccer.
Infantino confirmed he would run for the 2027–2031 term in the closing moments of the FIFA Congress in Vancouver, which comes less than two months before the start of the World Cup.
The election will be held on March 18 in Morocco, which is set to co-host the 2030 World Cup.
Infantino said he was “honoured and humbled” to have the chance to run for a fourth term.
The Italian-Swiss took office in 2016, replacing Sepp Blatter, and was re-elected unopposed in 2019 and 2023.
Infantino has pushed for the expansion of FIFA competitions during his tenure, with this year’s World Cup in North America the first to feature 48 teams, while the women’s tournament in 2023 has been expanded to 32 teams.
Infantino’s tenure has also drawn some criticism over issues such as high World Cup ticket prices and the decision to award the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize to U.S. President Donald Trump at the World Cup draw in December.
Earlier this month, the council of South American football’s governing body (CONMEBOL) said in a statement it would unanimously support the 56-year-old if he decided to seek another term.
-Reuters
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