By Teddy Nwanunobi
Former President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick, has expressed his support for the proposal by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) to sell a 20 per cent stake in the FIFA World Cup and other competitions, saying the initiative should be judged on its merits.
But the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has called on its members to review FIFA’s controversial plan.
Pinnick, who serves as the Deputy Chairperson of FIFA’s Men’s National Teams Competitions Committee, said FIFA President, Gianni Infantino, has consistently introduced reforms that have benefited football associations across the world.
The proposal, unveiled by FIFA earlier this week, would allow private investors to acquire stakes in the World Cup and other FIFA competitions. The plan has drawn criticism from the Union of European Football Associations and other stakeholders.
Speaking on Arise Television’s The Morning Show on Thursday, Pinnick said the proposal should not be viewed as controversial, arguing that it has the potential to generate more revenue for FIFA’s member associations.
“First, I will say that I am not totally equipped to speak on this issue. I have not seen any mail to that effect. One thing I know is that Gianni does not just wake up and give a proposal. He consults extensively,” Pinnick said.
Recalling his first interaction with Infantino during the latter’s campaign for the FIFA presidency, Pinnick said the Swiss administrator had promised to significantly increase financial support for member associations.
“He told me, ‘Now you receive $200,000. Once I get elected, you will now start receiving $1.25 million.’ I said, ‘That is a big lie.’ But when he got elected, he immediately started paying $1.25 million. For a cycle, each football association was getting about $6 million,” he said.
According to Pinnick, Infantino’s latest proposal follows the same reform-driven approach.
“Gianni is making a proposal. As president of FIFA or the head of an organisation, you have the right to make a proposal. It behoves members to accept it or reject it. We shouldn’t call everything a controversy,” he said.
He maintained that FIFA’s member associations stand to benefit the most if the proposal is approved.
“The shareholders are the member football associations, Nigeria, Niger, Ghana, South Africa and others. These are the main beneficiaries,” Pinnick said.
He added that each association could receive up to $20 million from the initiative, in addition to funding available under FIFA’s Forward Programme.
“If, for example, you have $40 million, trust me, you don’t need government to run football. What people should be concerned about is the integrity of the funds, the integrity of the people involved, the consortium or company, and how the funds are utilised,” he said.
Addressing concerns that private investors could influence FIFA’s decisions, Pinnick said football has continually evolved through reforms that were initially criticised, citing the introduction of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) as an example.
“When VAR was introduced, there was a lot of criticism. Today, VAR has come to stay,” he said.
Commenting on reports that United States President Donald Trump contacted Infantino over a refereeing decision during the FIFA World Cup, Pinnick said such interactions should not automatically be interpreted as interference.
“If the President of America calls Gianni, will Gianni not pick up his call? Definitely, he will. But because the President of America called Gianni, it becomes a story. I know what he did; he did according to the books and the statutes,” Pinnick said.