By Amaechi Agbo and agency report

The Intrigues

Nigeria’s Football Federation president, Amaju Pinnick was on Thursday dismissed from his role as 1st vice-president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

The sack came just as global football governing body FIFA was releasing details of a road map to put the crisis-hit organisation back on its feet.

CAF President, Ahmad Ahmad, who is being investigated by FIFA’s ethics committee for alleged corruption, sacked Pinnick, the president of the Nigerian Football Federation, at a hastily-assembled meeting of the CAF executive committee.

“I’ve changed my cabinet,” Ahmad told a news conference.

It was a day of long and bloody knives as President Ahmad worked behind the scenes to remove all opposition (perceived and real) from the key decision-making levels of his empire.

In their place has come a group of African officials that looks more amenable to Ahmad and his agenda, but which in other circles might be described as something of a ‘Rogue’s Gallery’ considering the various allegations outstanding against many of them. They are now the Africans charged with curating and nursing African football back to health. Watching on and smiling from the wings was FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

The Power Play

Amaju Pinnick was sacked because the President of CAF Ahmad, who ousted Issa Hayatou from office in March 2017 feels, he doesn’t have the backing of his 1st Vice President Amaju Pinnick.

Ahmad’s surgery was brutal. Out went first vice president Amaju Pinnick from Nigeria, to be replaced by DR Congo’s Omari Constant. Omari was detained last year as part of a probe into embezzlement in his own country of $1 million of government earmarked for four matches. That case is still unresolved.

Ahmad had prior to the told exco members that Pinnick had to be removed. He claimed Pinnick was plotting a coup, and was planning to strike after Ahmad’s arrest in Paris last month.

Pinnick, replaced Kwesi Nyantakyi as the 1st Vice President of CAF after the ex-boss of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) was handed a lifetime ban by FIFA for his involvement in the corruption scandal that rocked Ghana football last year.

It is understood that relationship between Ahmad and Amaju Pinnick hit the rocks after the latter staged a walk-out during a controversial vote to order for a replay of the 2019 CAF Champions League final.

SPIP/CAF Correspondence

It is alleged that Amaju declared war on Ahmad after CAF Secretary General, Mouad Hajji replied a letter from the Nigeria investigatory team, Special Presidential Investigative Panel, SPIP, that demanded clarification of $565, 473 payment made by the Nigeria Footballs Federation to CAF in 2015.

CAF’s reply, to a letter sighted by Bestchoicesports.com.ng reads:

“Gentlemen, in reference to your correspondence dated July 10, 2019, and after cross-referencing the information with the accounting and finance departments of CAF and the accounting documents of the year 2015, it is clear that the African Football Confederation, did not receive the said sum of 565, 471 thousand dollars from the Nigerian Football Federation.

“The participations in the various congresses of the African Football Confederation are FREE and do not require any financial participation of the member federations of the African Football Confederation.”

Amuju Pinnick is believed to be furious to know a letter of such was sent to the Confederation and he was not informed.

Pinnick Accused of Setting Up Influential journalist against Ahmad

The NFF boss was also accused of setting up influential African journalists and engaging people alleged to be allies of Issa Hayatou to bring the reign of Ahmad to its knees.

TheCable reports that Pinnick was booted out as the next man to the CAF’s president because he does not support Ahmad as is expected of him as a deputy.

Ahmad believed Pinnick had set up some journalists of clout to help bring his tenure to an end before his term expires.

Another source familiar with the matter also revealed to the paper that Pinnick did not back Ahmad on the decision by FIFA to appoint Fatma Samoura as Africa delegate to help conduct a forensic audit on the running of the continental body.

A CAF top-shot, who spoke with TheCable, said Pinnick embarked on the mission of getting the CAF’s president out of office to get himself to the seat.

“Pinnick brought this on himself because of his arrogance,” the insider told the paper.

“He felt he could get Ahmad out of the way for him to be installed as the CAF President. His personal ambition blind-sided him, forgetting that he attained the 1st Vice President position on Kwesi’s ban from FIFA.

“He was not elected but selected because the president thought he could be trusted and that he could help in steering African football forward.

“But Ahmad could not continue with such a person as his 1st Vice President.”

The fictitious facts/and Pinnick’s side

According to a press statement by Ademola Olajire, NFF’s media director, Pinnick’s tenure as the 1st vice president of CAF was not extended at the 32nd Executive Congress held at Marriot Hotel, Cairo on Thursday.

“In line with Article 22(4) of the CAF Statutes, every two years when elections are held at the CAF Congress (as took place today), the CAF Executive Committee on the proposal of the CAF President, elects a 1st, 2nd and 3rd Vice President respectively from among its members,” the statement said.

“Significantly the renewal of Amaju Pinnick’s tenure was not proposed by the CAF President because of fundamental differences on focus and direction.

“Pinnick accepted the decision of the President as it aligned with his own view having considered matters surrounding the administration of African Football which has dovetailed into the Nigerian Football space.

“He will, however, remain a bonafide member of the CAF Executive Committee to continue with his mandate as such.”

Pinnick was quoted to have said his commitment to the game is perpetual.

“It has however been an excellent opportunity to serve as the number two football administrator in the entire African continent and my commitment to the game is perpetual while my support for my colleagues in the Executive Committee remains steadfast,” Pinnick was quoted to have said.

“I congratulate, Omari, Lekja and Danny on the assumption of their new roles as 1st, 2nd and 3rd Vice CAF Presidents respectively.”

Infantino’s Failed Move to Save Pinnick

Scorenigeria revealed that despite pleas by FIFA President Gianni Infantino, CAF President Ahmad Ahmad fired NFF president Amaju Pinnick as CAF 1st Vice-President.The paper added that the positions of 1st, 2nd and 3rd Vice Presidents are appointed by President Ahmad Ahmad and not elective.

Pinnick’s post has now been taken up by Constance Omari of DR Congo, while Fouzi Lekjaa from Morocco is now the 2nd Vice President.

South Africa Football Federation (SAFA) President Danny Jordaan has been appointed the CAF 3rd Vice President.

He is widely considered to have a bigger profile than the Nigeria FA boss after he organised the hugely successful 2010 World Cup for the very first time in Africa.

It was learnt that Infantino asked Ahmad Ahmad “to reconsider” his decision to remove Pinnick, but the CAF boss it was also learnt was not prepared to be undermined by lieutenants he previously trusted.

“Pinnick was a changed man days leading up to his sack,” a top official told Scorenigeria

“The man that oozes arrogance was suddenly as humble as a chicken.

“In the past week he begged everybody and anything to ensure he was not ‘disgraced’, but the President was unmoved.”

He made several overtures for his boss to soft pedal on firing him.

Only this past week CAF disowned claims by the Pinnick-led NFF that a whopping $565,473 was spent for them to attend a CAF Congress in Egypt in 2015.

Pinnick’s dismissal now opens the way for him to face corruption charges back home in Nigeria after he has allegedly evaded doing so on various occasions.

The Nigerian government has brought a 17-count charge against Pinnick and four other top NFF officials, ranging for embezzlement to failure to declare their assets.

He was reported to have told government officials he was best positioned to be the first Nigerian to head the continental football governing body.

It was a gimmick he had hoped will deflect the weighty and criminal charges against him.

“It’s the beginning of the end,” a top government official told SCORENigeria Thursday