A former President of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick, has suffered a devastating blow after failing to retain his FIFA Council seat, losing by a single vote at the poll.
The election took place at the 14th CAF Extraordinary Congress in Cairo, Egypt on Wednesday.
Pinnick secureda 28 votes, only one short of both Ahmed Yahya of Mauritania and Souleman Hassan Waberi of Djibouti, who each scored 29 votes to make it to the exalted panel.
Morocco’s Fouzi Lekjaa swept 49 votes, with Egypt’s Hany Rida and Niger Republic’s Djibrilla Hima Hamidou netting 35 votes each.
Lekjaa, Rida, Hamidou, Yahya and Waberi would join CAF President, Patrice Motsepe, unopposed for a second term, as Africa’s representatives at the FIFA Council, alongside Kanizat Ibrahim from the Comoros Island who won the women’s seat by scoring 30 votes, as against 13 for former FIFA Council and IOC Member, Lydia Nsekera and seven for incumbent Isha Johansen.
Andrew Kamanga (Zambia), Yacine Idriss Diallo (Cote d’Ivoire) and Augustin Senghor (Senegal) polled 19, 18 and 13 votes respectively, while Benin Republic’s Mathurin De Chacus withdrew just before the vote.
In the CAF Executive Committee elections, Alfred Randriamanampisoa (Madagascar) withdrew before the vote, leaving Elvis Chetty (Seychelles), Sobha Mohamed Ally Samir (Mauritius) and Feizal Ismael Sidat (Mozambique) to contest for two COSAFA seats. In the event, Sobha Samir and Feizal Sidat were successful.
Unopposed, as the CAF President, were Wallace Karia (CECAFA, Tanzania), Samuel Eto’o (UNIFFAC, Cameroon), Mustapha Ishola Raji (WAFU A, Liberia), Kurt Edwin-Simeon Okraku (WAFU B, Ghana), Sadhi Walid (UNAF) and Bestine Kazadi Ditabala (Female Seat, DR Congo).
FIFA Council Seats: Patrice Motsepe (South Africa); Fouzi Lekjaa (Morocco); Hany Abou Rida (Egypt); Djibrilla ‘Pele’ Hima Hamidou (Niger Republic); Ahmed Yahya (Mauritania), Souleman Hassan Waberi (Djibouti).
Female Seat: Kanizat Ibrahim (Comoros)
CAF Executive Seats: Samuel Eto’o (UNIFFAC); Wallace Karia (CECAFA); Sadhi Walid (UNAF); Mustapha Ishola Raji (WAFU A); Kurt Edwin-Simeon Okraku (WAFU B); Sobha Mohamed Ally Samir and Feizal Ismael Sidat (COSAFA)
Female Seat: Bestine Kazadi Ditabala (DR Congo)