Former Nigeria Football Federation president, Amaju Pinnick, has defended FIFA’s proposal to sell a 20 per cent stake in the commercial rights of the FIFA World Cup and other competitions, insisting the plan should be evaluated on its merits rather than dismissed as controversial.
Pinnick, who is the deputy chairperson of FIFA’s Men’s National Teams Competitions Committee, expressed confidence in FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s leadership, noting that the football governing body has consistently introduced reforms that have delivered significant benefits to its member associations.
FIFA unveiled the proposal earlier this week, opening the door for private investors to acquire stakes in the World Cup and other FIFA competitions.
While the initiative has attracted criticism from the Union of European Football Associations and other football stakeholders, Pinnick believes it deserves fair consideration.
Speaking on Arise Television’s The Morning Show on Thursday, the former CAF vice-president said the proposal has the potential to strengthen FIFA’s finances and increase support for 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.
Reflecting on his first meeting with Infantino during the Swiss administrator’s campaign for the FIFA presidency, Pinnick recalled how the FIFA president fulfilled his promise to substantially increase funding for football 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.
Pinnick argued that the latest proposal is consistent with Infantino’s record of implementing reforms aimed at improving football administration worldwide.
“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.
According to him, the greatest beneficiaries of the initiative would be FIFA’s member associations across the globe.
“The shareholders are the member football associations, Nigeria, Niger, Ghana, South Africa and others. These are the main beneficiaries,” Pinnick said.
He further stated that, if approved, the proposal could provide each association with as much as $20 million in additional funding, alongside allocations from 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.
Responding to concerns that private investors could wield undue influence over FIFA, Pinnick pointed to previous reforms that initially faced resistance before gaining widespread acceptance, using the Video Assistant Referee system as an example.
“When VAR was introduced, there was a lot of criticism. Today, VAR has come to stay,” he said.
Pinnick also addressed reports alleging that United States President Donald Trump contacted Infantino regarding a refereeing decision during the FIFA World Cup, dismissing suggestions that the interaction amounted to 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.
The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football, along with several football stakeholders, criticised FIFA’s reported plan to sell a stake in the commercial operations of the FIFA World Cup and other competitions through a semi-private subsidiary.
