Amaju Pinnick's bid to secure a seat on the FIFA Council has suffered a significant setback, as the former Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) president narrowly missed out by a single vote.

Souleiman Waberi of Djibouti clinched the final available seat with 29 votes, edging out Pinnick, who fell short by one vote.

The voting took place during the Confederation of African Football (CAF) General Assembly held in Cairo on Wednesday, March 12.

Fouzi Lekjaa of Morocco received the highest number of votes (49), while Egypt’s Hani Rida and Niger’s Djibrilla Hamidou followed closely with 35 votes each.

Mauritania’s Ahmed Yahya and Waberi both secured 29 votes, leaving Pinnick just outside the cutoff.

This outcome marks a setback for Pinnick, the two-term former NFF president, who has been a member of FIFA's highest decision-making body since 2021.

WDN