Former president of the Nigeria Football Federation, Amaju Melvin Pinnick has lost his seat in the FIFA Council. He got 28 votes, one short of the 29 obtained by Souleiman Hassan Waberi of Djibouti, the fifth person who got into the FIFA Council.

The results:

1. Fouzi Lekjaa: 49 votes  – elected

2. Hani Abou Rida: 35 votes – elected

3. Djibrilla Hima Hamidou: 35 votes – elected

4. Ahmed Yahya: 29 votes – elected

5. Souleiman Waberi: 29 votes – elected

Amaju Pinnick: 28 votes

Andrew Kamanga: 19 votes

Yacine Diallo: 18 votes

Augustin Senghor: 13 votes

Mathurin de Chacus: Pulled out

WOMEN

Kanizat Ibrahim: 30 votes – elected

Lydia Nsekera: 13 votes

Isha Johansen: 07 votes

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On the sidelines of the Extraordinary General Assembly of the Confederation of African Football, CAF in Cairo, the body and the Association of African Clubs (ACA) on Tuesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding.

Patrice Motsepe, President of CAF and Hersi Said, the President of ACA signed the historic MoU.

Several strategic objectives were put in place. “These objectives include the protection and development of a strong and competitive professional sector, as well as long-term investment in the training of young talents.

The two institutions are also committed to ensuring that players have an appropriate educational path throughout their sporting career, to promoting ethics and integrity of the game, and to fighting against racism, doping, violence, match manipulation and corruption in football,” CAF explained in its press release.

CAF and ACA will work hand in hand to ensure that club and national team football generates substantial benefits for players, clubs, leagues and member associations.

The bodies have also strengthened their collaboration in governance and the resolution of sports disputes through appropriate mediation structures.

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Nigeria’s Amaju Melvin Pinnick is highly favoured to retain his seat as a member of the 37-member FIFA Council when elections are conducted at the 14^th Extraordinary General Assembly of the Confederation of African Football in Cairo, Egypt on Wednesday.

The debonair football administrator is at the forefront of the race alongside Moroccan Fouzi Lekjaa and Egyptian Hany Abou Rida, with 10 persons to battle for the available five seats when the poll is called inside the Marriott Mena House on Wednesday morning.

Africa has seven seats on the FIFA Council, with the sitting CAF President’s position guaranteed.

One of the seven seats is reserved for a woman, and here, CAF’s sitting 5^th vice president Kanizat Ibrahim from the Comoros Islands will slug it out with sitting member Isha Johansen from Sierra Leone.

The contest for the FIFA Council seats will certainly be the fiercest ever, with Ivorian Yacine Idriss Diallo, Senegal’s Augustin Senghor, Niger Republic’s Djibrilla ‘Pele’ Hima Hamidou, Zambia’s Andrew Kamanga, Mauritanian Ahmed Yahya, Benin Republic’s Mathurin De Chacus and Djibouti’s Souleman Hassan Waberi also in the poll.

CAF President Patrice Motsepe, who is also unchallenged for a second term at African football’s helm, keeps his seat without any sweat, but will watch keenly as only half of the contestants, all strong and deft politicians in their rights, make it to the esteemed FIFA Council.

Each of the 54 Member Associations will have the opportunity to vote five persons in the densely-populated male category, and one of the two women. President of NFF, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau, who will vote on behalf of Nigeria, landed in Cairo on Sunday in company with the General Secretary, Dr Mohammed Sanusi.

The Government of Nigeria, which publicly endorsed Pinnick’s candidacy through the Presidency in July 2024, is robustly represented, with Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Alhaji Shehu Dikko, and Director-General, Hon. Bukola Olopade on ground.

There were indications on Tuesday morning that Mauritania’s Yahya may also sail through in the contest at the extraordinary general assembly that begins at 9am Nigeria time.

Unlike the elections into the FIFA Council, the race for seats into the CAF Executive Committee has been weakened by zonal arrangements that have seen single candidates emerge in most zones, except the southern African region where firestorms are expected.

South African mining billionaire Motsepe comes from the COSAFA region where four candidates, viz, Elvis Chetty (Seychelles), Alfred Randriamanampisoa (Madagascar), Mohamed Ally Samir (Mauritius) and Feizal Ismael Sidat (Mozambique), battle for two seats.

Elsewhere, Cameroonian legend Samuel Eto’o Fils, who needed the intervention of the Court of Arbitration for Sports to be reinstated on the ballot, is the sole candidate for the UNIFFAC (Central Africa) region, as Mustapha Ishola Raji (Liberia) for the WAFU A zone; Kurt Edwin-Simeon Okraku for the WAFU B zone and; Algeria’s Sadhi Walid for the UNAF (North Africa) zone.

The only female seat is also uncontested, with Congolese Bestine Kazadi the only candidate on the ballot.

FIFA Council Poll: Amaju Pinnick (Nigeria); Fouzi Lekjaa (Morocco); Hany Abou Rida (Egypt); Ahmed Yahya (Mauritania); Yacine Idriss Diallo (Cote d’Ivoire); Augustin Senghor (Senegal); Djibrilla ‘Pele’ Hima Hamidou (Niger Republic), Andrew Kamanga (Zambia), Mathurin De Chacus (Benin Republic) and Souleman Hassan Waberi (Djibouti).

Female Seat: Kanizat Ibrahim (Comoros); Isha Johansen (Sierra Leone)

CAF Exco Poll: Samuel Eto’o (UNIFFAC, unchallenged); Sadhi Walid (UNAF, unchallenged); Mustapha Ishola Raji (WAFU A, unchallenged); Kurt Edwin-Simeon Okraku (WAFU B, unchallenged); Elvis Chetty (COSAFA); Alfred Randriamanampisoa (COSAFA), Mohamed Ally Samir (COSAFA) and Feizal Ismael Sidat (COSAFA)

Female Seat: Bestine Kazadi (DR Congo)

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