Former President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick, has backed the proposal by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association to sell a 20 per cent stake in the FIFA World Cup and other major competitions.
Pinnick, who is the deputy chairperson of FIFA’s Men’s National Teams Competitions Committee, said the proposal should be considered based on its potential benefits rather than being dismissed as controversial.
The former NFF president said FIFA President, Gianni Infantino, had introduced several reforms that had positively impacted football associations across the world.
The proposal, unveiled by FIFA earlier this week, would allow private investors to acquire stakes in the commercial operations of the World Cup and other FIFA competitions.
The plan has, however, attracted criticism from the Union of European Football Associations and other football stakeholders.
Speaking on Arise Television’s The Morning Show on Thursday, Pinnick said the proposal could generate more money for FIFA’s 211 member associations if approved.
Pinnick said he had not personally seen the details of the proposal and therefore could not speak extensively about it.
However, he argued that Infantino was known for consulting widely before introducing major reforms.
“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.
He recalled his first interaction with Infantino when the Swiss administrator was campaigning to become FIFA president.
According to Pinnick, Infantino had promised to increase the financial support given to FIFA’s member associations if elected.
“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 said the latest proposal was consistent with Infantino’s approach of introducing reforms aimed at improving football administration and funding.
He argued that as the head of FIFA, Infantino had the right to make proposals, while the member associations had the power to accept or reject them.
“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.
Pinnick also maintained that FIFA’s member associations, rather than private investors, would remain the biggest beneficiaries if the plan was approved.
“The shareholders are the member football associations, Nigeria, Niger, Ghana, South Africa and others. These are the main beneficiaries,” he said.
According to Pinnick, the proposal could provide significant financial benefits to football associations across the world.
He said each association could potentially receive as much as $20m from the initiative, in addition to the funds they already receive through 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.
Pinnick therefore urged stakeholders to focus more on ensuring transparency and accountability in the management of the funds rather than rejecting the proposal outright.
‘VAR Was Also Criticised’
Addressing concerns that private investors could gain influence over FIFA’s decisions, Pinnick said football had continued to evolve through reforms that were initially met with criticism.
He cited the introduction of the Video Assistant Referee as an example of a reform that faced opposition before eventually becoming an established part of modern football.
“When VAR was introduced, there was a lot of criticism. Today, VAR has come to stay,” he said.
Pinnick argued that the proposed commercial changes should similarly be given proper consideration before stakeholders reach conclusions about their possible impact on the sport.
The former NFF president also commented on reports that United States President Donald Trump contacted Infantino over a refereeing decision during the FIFA World Cup.
Pinnick said the fact that Trump reportedly spoke with the FIFA president should not automatically be interpreted as interference in football matters.
“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.
Pinnick’s comment comes after the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football and several other football stakeholders had criticised FIFA’s reported plan to sell a stake in the commercial operations of the World Cup and other competitions through a semi-private subsidiary, Naija News reports.
