Pinnick rules out seeking third term as NFF president

Amaju Pinnick, president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), has ruled out contesting for a third term in office.

The NFF president said this in a chat with Arise TV on Friday.

Pressure has been mounting on Pinnick to resign from his role as the NFF boss following the failure of the Super Eagles to qualify for the Qatar 2022 World Cup.

Stakeholders from several quarters blamed the loss of the ticket to Ghana on the dismissal of Gernot Rohr as coach and the appointment of Austin Eguavoen to replace him.

However, Pinnick, who is currently in the twilight of his second term in office, has confirmed that he would not be seeking a new term in office.

“Am I eligible to run? Yes! I am eligible to run based on our [NFF] statute. Do I want to run at this moment? It’s a no-no because my family says so at the moment,” Pinnick said.

“My family is very key to me; family first. They say that I’ve put in my all and put in my best. They say that it’s taken a toll on me and taken a toll on the family. They believe that it’s time that I move on. It’s a very regrettable decision.”

The Delta-born sports administrator was first elected in 2014, and then re-elected in 2018.

He also became the third Nigerian to win an election into the FIFA Council — the highest decision-making organ in world football.

He is also a member of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) emergency and executive committees.