HARRISON JALLA PERSPECTIVE: Honourable Sports Minister Sack Pinnick-led NFF For Non-Performance, Misappropriation And Corruption

The Honourable Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Sunday Dare, must invoke the relevant provisions of the NFA Act 2004 to sack the Amaju Pinnick-led NFF Board as a matter of urgency for the following reasons to save Nigeria Football –  

• The Pinnick led NFF Board has achieved nothing in their almost eight inglorious years in office. His predecessor in office Aminu Maigari won 13 trophies in four years including the AFCON, all with indigenous coaches including coaches of the female national teams.

Under Pinnick’s watch, the Super Eagles failed to qualify back-to-back for AFCON, first time in the history of Nigeria Football.

So also with the Golden Eaglets who failed to qualify for the World Cup back-to-back.

Nigeria could not progress beyond the group stage in the Russia 2018 World Cup, while in 2014 an indigenous coach Stephen Keshi of blessed memory took the Super Eagles to the second round of the same competition.

The only AFCON Pinnick-led us to in Egypt, where we managed to achieve bronze after losing to a country like Madagascar.

(2) There is nothing to write home about the Domestic front. Pinnick aided and supervised Shehu Dikko to kill the NPFL, the flagship of our domestic football. The same NPFL that was rated best in Africa under Oyiuki Obaseki of blessed memory- Davidson Owumi- Rumson Victor Baribote.

(3) On misappropriation and corruption, I attach reports of indictment from the two leading anti-graft agencies in Nigeria for the Honourable Minister’s attention.

(4) The dubious and unpatriotic contract of coach Gernot Rohr is also more than sufficient to sack Pinnck and his co-travellers, not to talk of the harrowing experience Nigerians were subjected under Gernot Rohr. Football is a unifier and the biggest brand we always have in Nigeria.

As a critical national asset, the Federal government must be interested with a target bench mark on the character, capability and calibre of persons managing or running Football in Nigeria.

The Hon. Minister must sack the Pinnick-led Board now, clear the Augean stable and prepare for a fresh election in September 2022 that will open a new vista for Nigeria Football.

BY HARRISON JALLA