It is clear that 2019 will be a huge year for football, especially in Nigeria. In June, both senior national sides – the men’s and women’s will compete in the Africa Cup of Nations and FIFA Women’s World Cup respectively. There will also be continental and possibly global competitions for both the Under-17 and Under-20 teams.
This makes it even more troubling that, with all these on the horizon, there appears to be another round of distractions for the top brass of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). This time, it revolves around alleged financial impropriety over the course of Amaju Pinnick’s tenure at the helm of the nation’s football. This has precipitated a back and forth in the public space as to whether or not the Presidency, via the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), is seeking to indict him.
The man in question has, naturally, sought to show that his movements remain unchecked and unhindered and that his administration is above board in its dealings. It is difficult to ascertain these things, and care must be taken to avoid trying sensitive matters in the court of public opinion, but it is a worry nonetheless.
Because it appears that any attack on the head is construed as an attack on the entire football house. Nigeria remains a place where working structures, capable of functioning independent of any one individual, are elusive. And so when Pinnick sneezes, Nigerian football catches a cold. Even the slightest challenge thrown at him shuts down the entire football apparatus, remember the Giwa situation?
