The President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Amaju Pinnick, on Friday was confirm as a member of the Federation of International Football Association, FIFA council seat.
The Nigerian defeated Walter Nyamilandu of Malawi to emerge as the third Nigerian to be elected into the FIFA Council at the 43rd CAF General Assembly in Rabat, Morocco after the late Etubom Oyo Orok Oyo and Dr Amos Adamu took their turns on that exalted position.
The election also saw Pinnick emerge as a member of CAF Executives as the fifth CAF Vice President after Austin Senghor (Senegal), Ahmed Yahaya (Mauritania), Souleiman Waberi, and Fouzi Lekjaa (Morocco).
Before this latest return, Pinnick was CAF First Vice President between September 2018 and July 2019 under former CAF president, Ahmad Ahmad.
Pinnick, however, lost his seat due to his differences with Ahmad in 2019.
The FIFA Council consists of 37 members: one President, elected by the FIFA Congress; eight vice presidents, and 28 other members elected by member associations – each for a term of four years.
In a related development, South Africa’s Dr. Patrice Motsepe has been elected as the new CAF president at the 43rd General Assembly in Rabat, Morocco.
Motsepe, who was elected unopposed, becomes the 8th president of CAF since 1957 and will be the first southern African to hold the position.