Nigeria’s Amaju Melvin Pinnick narrowly missed out on retaining his seat on the FIFA Council after losing by just one vote during the 14th CAF Extraordinary Congress held in Cairo, Egypt, on Wednesday. Pinnick, the former president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), garnered 28 votes, just behind Mauritania’s Ahmed Yahya and Djibouti’s Souleman Hassan Waberi, who each secured 29 votes.
Morocco’s Fouzi Lekjaa emerged as the leading candidate with an impressive 49 votes, while Egypt’s Hany Abou Rida and Niger’s Djibrilla Hima Hamidou each earned 35 votes, securing their places on the FIFA Council.
In the women’s seat, Kanizat Ibrahim from Comoros won with 30 votes, defeating former FIFA Council and IOC member Lydia Nsekera, who received 13 votes, and incumbent Isha Johansen, who managed only seven.
Zambia’s Andrew Kamanga, Côte d’Ivoire’s Yacine Idriss Diallo, and Senegal’s Augustin Senghor fell short with 19, 18, and 13 votes, respectively. Benin Republic’s Mathurin De Chacus withdrew from the race before the voting commenced.