By Adeola Kunle
Former President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Amaju Pinnick, has expressed support for FIFA's proposal to sell a 20 per cent stake in the commercial operations of the FIFA World Cup and other international competitions, saying the initiative should be assessed based on its potential benefits rather than dismissed as controversial.
Pinnick, who serves as Deputy Chairperson of FIFA's Men's National Teams Competitions Committee, said FIFA President Gianni Infantino has built a record of introducing reforms that have strengthened football development and increased financial support for member associations across the world.
The proposal, announced by FIFA earlier this week, seeks to allow private investors to acquire minority stakes in the commercial operations of the FIFA World Cup and other FIFA tournaments. While the plan has attracted criticism from the Union of European Football Associations and several football stakeholders, Pinnick believes member associations stand to benefit if it is approved.
Speaking during an interview on Arise Television's The Morning Show on Thursday, Pinnick explained that although he had not yet received official documentation on the proposal, he was confident that Infantino would have consulted widely before presenting it.
"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," he said.
Reflecting on his first meeting with Infantino during the FIFA presidential campaign, Pinnick recalled that the FIFA president had pledged to significantly increase financial support for national 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," Pinnick stated.
He argued that the latest proposal follows the same reform-minded philosophy, stressing that FIFA members would ultimately decide whether to adopt or reject it.
"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 maintained that football associations around the world, including those in Nigeria, Niger, Ghana and South Africa, would be the primary beneficiaries if the initiative succeeds.
According to him, each member association could receive as much as $20 million from the proposed arrangement, in addition to funding already available 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 added.
Responding to fears that private investors could influence FIFA's governance, Pinnick said football has always evolved through reforms that initially attracted criticism but were later accepted.
He pointed to the introduction of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system as an example.
"When VAR wasintroduced, there was a lot of criticism. Today, VAR has come to stay," he said.
Pinnick also reacted to reports that United States President Donald Trump contacted Infantino over a refereeing decision during the FIFA World Cup, insisting that such communication should not automatically be viewed as 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," he said.
DIP CONNECT ONLINE NEWS reports that FIFA's proposal to sell a minority stake in the commercial operations of the FIFA World Cup and other competitions has generated criticism from the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf) as well as several football stakeholders, who have raised concerns about the move.
ADEOLA KUNLE
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