FIFA appoints Pinnick into Organising Committee for Competitions

World football –ruling body, FIFA, has named the
President of Nigeria Football Federation, Mr.
Amaju Melvin Pinnick, into one of its most
important committees – the Organising
Committee for Competitions.
Hitherto, the world body had different committees
for organization of its several competitions,
including the FIFA World Cup, FIFA Confederations
Cup, FIFA Women’s World Cup, FIFA U20 World
Cup, FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup, FIFA U17
World Cup, FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup, FIFA
Club World Cup and the FIFA Beach Soccer World
Cup.
Pinnick was a member of the Organising
Committee for the FIFA U20 World Cup.However,
at its 66th Congress in Mexico City on 12th–
13th May 2016, and in accordance with the
revised FIFA Statutes that came into force on
27th April 2016, the model of the standing
committees was reviewed, cutting the number
from 26 to 9.
The new model has only the following
committees: Governance, Finance, Development,
Member Associations, Referees, Players’ Status,
Football Stakeholders, Medical, Organising
Committee for FIFA Competitions.
Pinnick’s letter of appointment, dated 18th
January 2017 and signed by Fatma Samoura, the
Secretary General, read inter alia: “We are very
pleased to inform you that you have been
appointed member of the Organising Committee
for FIFA Competitions. We wish you our sincere
congratulations on this appointment.
“The FIFA administration is at your
disposal through the following
Administration Officer, who will be in
contact with you regarding the upcoming
meetings and any further aspects relating
to your office as member of this
committee: Colin Smith, Chief
Competitions Officer.
“We wish you great success and
enjoyment in this role at FIFA and look
forward to welcoming you soon to Zurich.”
The Organising Committee for FIFA Competitions
is headed by Aleksander Ceferin, President of the
Union of European Football Associations (UEFA).
The tenure of members is for 2017-2021. In line
with the new FIFA reforms, each proposed
member of any of the committees was made to
go through a comprehensive integrity check
conducted by several organisations of global
relevance and stature.
Pinnick’s appointment, and in particular the
thorough and painstaking checks that he passed
with full marks, is a big thumbs –up for Nigerian
Football, and puts out the light on the unsavoury
innuendoes and deliberate mischief of a few
individuals intent on putting the country’s game
under a cloud.
As a member of the CAF Organising Committee
for the Africa Cup of Nations, Pinnick is presently
at the 31st Africa Cup finals ongoing in Gabon,
and will be match commissioner for Saturday’s
potentially –explosive West African derby
between Mali and Ghana.
The new member of the Organising Committee for
FIFA Competitions, who swivelled through the
ranks of football administration (from board
member to second vice chairman, first vice
chairman and chairman of Delta State Football
Association, to Executive Chairman of Delta State
Sports Commission before his election as
President of Nigeria Football Federation in
September 2014), is also a candidate for election
into the Executive Committee of Confederation of
African Football.
The CAF elections will take place at the 39th
Ordinary General Assembly of the organization in
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 16th March.