CAF President appoints Amaju Pinnick

Amaju Pinnick, former president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), has been appointed a special adviser to Patrice Motsepe, CAF president.

Motsepe announced Pinnick’s appointment during a press conference last Saturday.

In March, Pinnick lost his re-election bid for the FIFA Council by a single vote in the poll held at the 14th CAF Extraordinary General Assembly.

The 54-year-old had been elected into the council in March 2021 at the 43rd CAF ordinary general assembly in Rabat, Morocco.

In a statement on Sunday, the National Sports Commission (NSC) said Pinnick’s latest appointment has returned him to “the front row of CAF executive decision framework”.

“The FGN through the NSC will continue to support capable and competent Nigerians to seek for key positions across all international sporting bodies as it clearly aligns with the RHINSE Framework to ensure Nigeria has a strong respected voice at the international level,” the statement reads.

Motsepe is in his second term as president of CAF, having been re-elected unopposed in March.

The South African billionaire was first elected into the position in 2021, becoming the first English-speaking president of the continental football body.

He replaced Ahmad Ahmad, who was suspended by FIFA over financial misappropriation in November 2020.