Tag: Pinnick

NFF President Amaju Pinnick has charged the federation’s Match Commissioners Appointment Committee to be even more diligent in its appointments now that the Nigeria Professional Football League season is coming to a close.

“The season is nearing an end, so there is reason for greater diligence and vigilance. I commend you for the very marvelous work you have been doing over the years and I know you will always do the needful.

“You see, this is the time of season that clubs and managers are more ‘innovative,’ to use that word. So, the onus is on you as match commissioners appointment committee to be more careful in appointments. I have no doubt that you are up to the task,” Pinnick said as he met with the members during their meeting at the NFF Secretariat, Abuja.

NFF Executive Committee member, Alhaji Babagana Kalli is the chairman of the committee, with another NFF executive Otunba Sunday Dele-Ajayi as vice chairman.

Members are Professor Musa Garba Yakassai, Mrs Faith Irabor, Sir Emma Ochiagha, Mr Yabagi Baba, Prince Mbaezue and Alhaji Mohammed Manzo. Danlami Alanana is secretary.

Amaju Pinnick has stated that he would recommend suspension for the referee of the Week 23 Nigeria Professional Football League match between MFM FC and Shooting Stars.

The fans were angry at some of the calls by referee  Alabi Abiodun, and they invaded the pitch after Ebitimi scored for 3SC in the 83rd minute. The NFF President, who was at the Agege Stadium to see the match, intervened to calm nerves.

“In my opinion the referee killed the spirit of the game and I know what I’ll recommend to the committee,” Pinnick told Goal.

“As the president of the NFF,  my opinion must be taken very seriously  because our aim is to develop the game and I’m going to recommend suspension for the referee. The fans are never justified for any form of hooliganism.”

The Federal high court sitting in Jos yesterday granted the prayers of Yahaya Adama and Senator Obinna Ogba, to relist the case which among other things had sought to nullify the Warri General Assembly and the subsequent elective congress that turned in Amaju Pinnick as President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

Justice Musa Haruna Kurya in delivering his ruling on the matter went ahead to also sustain all the previous orders of the court, effectively making Ambassador Chris Giwa the head of the federation until the final determination of the suit.

By the orders of the court now, the Minister of Sports is compelled to recognise the Mr. Giwa-led Board of the NFF as the recognised board by law.

The order also bars anybody from interfering with the duties and functions of the NFF board under the leadership of Chris Giwa.

The court effectively by Friday ruling has set aside all the proceedings and decisions of the Warri Extra Ordinary meeting of the 20th September, 2014 and the Elective Congress of 30th September, 2014 which elected Amaju Pinnick as President of the NFF.

Speaking shortly after the ruling of the court, Barrister Damon Dashe told our correspondent that his clients will certainly appeal the decisions of the court.

For his part Counsel to Yahaya Adama and Senator Obinna Ogba, Barrister Habila Azard said his clients have been vindicated and that “they can now settle down and resume all their functions because that is all we have been fighting for.”

The Case has been adjourned to the 30th of May for hearing of the substantive matter.

Embattled president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick, has described calls for him to resign after Nigeria failed to qualify for next year’s AFCON as “very unfair”,  insisting he will see through his four-year tenure.

Under his leadership, Nigeria have failed to qualify to two consecutive AFCONs.

“I have heard calls by some persons asking me to resign but that is very unfair knowing the achievements this board has recorded during my tenure,” he said at a media briefing in Abuja Wednesday.

“We won the Africa Women’s Championship in Namibia, the FIFA U-17 World Cup and we also qualified for almost all major competitions during this period.

“I was elected by the congress with a four-year tenure and it will be very unfair for anyone to ask for my resignation.”

While tendering a public apology for the country’s ouster from the AFCON, Pinnick said the Super Eagles were “unlucky” to lose in Egypt and they have “a robust future”.

He equally defended the appointment of former coach Sunday Oliseh, who quit his post a month to the crucial matches against Egypt.

“We have no regrets employing him because he came highly recommended like any other Nigerian and we gave him a four-year plan hoping that he will return our football to glory days,” Pinnick said.

He further said he has met with the country’s sports minister and they have agreed a meeting on Tuesday to address the many problems facing Nigerian football.

NFF President,  Amaju Melvin Pinnick has made it clear that anybody calling for his resignation must be living in the past as a result of the Super  Eagles ouster from AFCON 2017 edition billed for Gabon early next year.

“I am pained as a Nigerian and as NFF President that under my watch we cannot  qualify for two editions of the Afcon 2015 and 2017.  We even had to empty the NFF treasury with other support outside the federation to persecute two matches.

Pinnick said calling for his resignation now will not work because he was elected by the NFF congress with a mandate of four years adding that:  “I have a mandate of four years from the NFF congress  who elected. My board did everything humanly possible to ensure  victory in the double encounter but destiny played its role.”

The former Delta State Sports Commmission Chairman also admitted that the federation did not play the politics of the game well because Nigeria has nobody in CAF or FIFA.

He emphasised  the need for a Nigerian to be at the Executive Committee of CAF and FIFA.  ” We need to support and encourage our own to be among the Executive Committee of the continental body.  Certain decisions are taken and nobody to defend you.  Chad pulling out at the last minute was political because we were hoping to make it through the best loser but as it is now we don’t  have any chance of being in Gabon due to the deficiency in our group which has only three nations – Nigeria, Egytpt and Tanzania.