The president of Nigeria’s football association, Amaju Pinnick,with the resolute support of FIFA, has now regained control of Football House, Abuja. It was a power-play, in which a determined Pinnick opponent was supported by the Minister of Sports, Solomon Dalung.
But FIFA the world football body has always insisted , in policy and practice, on the independence of national football associations. It threatened to ban Nigeria from world football competitions if the tussle continued.
A deft football diplomat, Amaju Pinnink is also the first Vice President of the Confederation of African Football.
This makes him the most influential person in African football after Ahmad Ahmad, the Malagasy president of CAF, with whom he has excellent relations.
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Amaju Pinnick appears to have gained stature everywhere. For a long time now, he has been regarded as a mover and shaker on the African continent.
Can he transform Nigerian football at home?
World Cup Post Mortem: A Critical Look At Nigeria’s Performance
Dare we talk about life after the World Cup? Where Nigeria did not progress to the quarter finals? Yes, Nigerian’s performance looks better in retrospect. The Super Eagles were in the so-called ‘group of death’, which included Argentina and Croatia. Croatia progressed to the finals.
Today, the Super Eagles are poised to do well at the Afcon 2019 in the Cameroons.
On the club side, Enyimba FC of Aba is inching towards the CAF trophy.
The definitive verdict on Amaju Pinnick, the football administrator is yet to come.
