Nigeria’s Amaju Melvin Pinnick has narrowly lost his bid to retain a seat on the FIFA Council, falling short by just one vote in the election held during the 14th CAF Extraordinary Congress in Cairo, Egypt, on Wednesday.
The former president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) garnered 28 votes, finishing behind Mauritania’s Ahmed Yahya and Djibouti’s Souleman Hassan Waberi, who secured 29 votes each to claim seats on the prestigious panel.
Morocco’s Fouzi Lekjaa led the voting with an overwhelming 49 votes, while Egypt’s Hany Abou Rida and Niger Republic’s Djibrilla Hima Hamidou both earned 35 votes to also secure their spots.
Joining them as Africa’s representatives on the FIFA Council is Kanizat Ibrahim from Comoros, who clinched the women’s seat with 30 votes.
She overcame former FIFA Council and IOC member Lydia Nsekera, who received 13 votes, and incumbent Isha Johansen, who managed just seven.
Meanwhile, Andrew Kamanga (Zambia), Yacine Idriss Diallo (Côte d’Ivoire), and Augustin Senghor (Senegal) fell short with 19, 18, and 13 votes, respectively, while Benin Republic’s Mathurin De Chacus withdrew from the race before voting began.
