Former Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) boss Amaju Pinnick has risen to the defense of FIFA President Gianni Infantino following controversial plans to sell a large minority stake to a private company that will run the World Cup and Club World Cup, Soccernet.ng reports.
This week has been quite dramatic for football leaders all over the world, and the man in the eye of the storm is Infantino.
The jury is still out on him following the successful but heavily criticized 2026 World Cup. Earlier this week, news broke that the FIFA President had sent a proposal to all member organizations.
Gianni Infantino FIFA President. Copyright: ImagoxJOERANxSTEINSIEKx
According to The Athletic, the world football governing body wants to form a new company called FIFA Forward Enterprises (FFE) to handle all of FIFA’s commercial operations.
Although FIFA would still own a majority stake of this entity, they plan to sell a minority stake to private investors. The incentive is that once finalized, massive funding would be immediately released to FIFA’s member associations as part of a new funding stream.
Interestingly, Joshua Kushner — the brother of Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner — plays a key role in Thrive Eternal, one of the firms in the proposed set of investors fro the FFE.
While this new plan is expected to bring about a significant financial windfall for all of FIFA’s member organizations, many fans and FA presidents have been highly critical of the proposal. Infantino has drawn sharp criticism from UEFA, Europe’s football governing body, with reports indicating they are strongly pushing back against the move by boycotting FIFA.
Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA, and Donald Trump, president of the United States. Copyright: ImagoxWaleedxIbrahimx
Amaju Pinnick Wades in on FIFA Controversy
As the backlash continues, Amaju Pinnick has weighed in. The former NFF President, now the Deputy Chairperson of the FIFA Men’s National Teams Competitions Committee, has consistently remained a staunch supporter of Infantino.
In an interview on Wednesday, he backed the initiative, insisting that the move will fetch significant funding for football associations that are often cash-strapped.
“First, I’ll say that I’m not totally equipped to speak on this issue. I’ve not seen any mails to that effect; I’ve seen it online, and I’ve spoken to some of my colleagues. But one thing I know is that Gianni does not just wake up and give a proposal — he consults extensively…,” Pinnick said.
“Gianni is all about the collective; it’s all about people. I’m not here defending him blindly; it is what I know.
“Now, what are they talking about? Gianni is making a proposal as president of FIFA or as head of an organization. You can bring out a proposal; it behooves you to accept it or not. Don’t call everything a controversy! He has a right to bring out a proposal.
“When you are saying there’s a controversy, who will be the main beneficiary? Who are the shareholders? The shareholders are the Member Associations: Nigeria FA, Ghana FA, South African FA — these are the main beneficiaries! And he said clearly, once this is done, the MAs will receive $20 million.
“Because I know when I was president personally, I funded some small countries personally from my own funds—$20,000, $30,000, $40,000 — just so they could play football and honor their matches.
“So if each MA has about $20 million, and there’s also what’s called the FIFA Forward program where you can access another $20 million, if you have $40 million total, trust me, you don’t need the government to run football!
“What people should be bothered about is the integrity of the funds, the integrity of the personnel, the consortium, or the company involved. Are these companies quoted on stock exchanges all over the world?
“These are things more people should be bothered about, alongside the disbursement and use of the funds. And I know FIFA also has its control mechanisms. So to me, we shouldn’t just sit down and complain; we should celebrate the huge success.
“You remember I told you here that once this tournament picks up, there would be no controversy? There was a lot of apprehension and fear, but trust me, this has been the most successful World Cup. Okay? So it’s not everybody that will be happy with it.”
Gianni Infantino FIFA Presdient. Copyright: ImagoxJOERANxSTEINSIEKx
In truth, all member organizations are set to get grants of $20 million each — up from $8 million — in the next four-year cycle. That figure is expected to rise to $22 million per nation for 2031–34 and $24 million (three times the current amount) for 2035–38.
However, many critics feel that Infantino is over-commercializing FIFA, a move that could eventually backfire and reduce FIFA’s control over the game.
All FIFA member organizations have until September 19 to give a thumbs up or thumbs down to the new proposal, leaving the ultimate fate of the initiative hanging in the balance.
