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•Says CAF seat bid not approved by NFF board
There seems to be no peace in the executive board of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), since the news of the President, Amaju Pinnick’s submission of his nomination form for an executive seat in the Confederation of African Football (CAF) broke out.
Chairman of the NFF Technical Committee, Chris Green, yesterday described Nigerian football as a sinking ship under the administration of Pinnick.
Green, who stated in a telephone chat that the members of the Executive Committee of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) are at dagger-drown, described as inordinate, the ambition of the football federation president, Pinnick, to contest for a seat at the Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) executive committee.
He accused him of placing personal ambition above that of national interest and urged him (Pinnick) to concentrate his energy in redirecting the sinking ship of Nigerian football. He stressed that unlike the board did during the time of former President Aminu Maigari, Pinnick’s decision to contest for a CAF seat was neither deliberated at the NFF board meeting nor given the endorsement of the Federal Government.
“I just read that Amaju has sent in nomination through the General Secretary of the NFF. I want to say that there was no time the executive committee of NFF met to come out with a decision authorising Amaju to contest in the CAF executive committee.
“For such decision to be taken, it must be done by majority of the NFF board in concurrent with the Ministry of Sports representing the Federal Government. The procedure must be followed because it is not a personal position since anybody going there is going to represent Nigeria. For now, I don’t think it is proper for any member of this present board to embark on such a mission.
“There is a lot to be done in Nigeria to stabilise the ship of football in this country. We have to look for sponsors that will help redirect the financial situation facing us and put us in the proper footing. How should one of the best heads in the federation who is supposed to sit down and think of the way forward abandon his responsibility and donate himself to CAF?” He queried.
“If truth must be told, the present situation in Nigerian football is facing does not need a distraction like this. Recall that when Aminu Maigari contested, he had the backing of the board and federal government. FG did not only back him but supported him financially. It is the same thing Ibrahim Galadima and Amos Adamu contested,” he said.
