The President of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick, has dismissed allegations of mismanagement surrounding the FIFA Goal Project in Kebbi State, insisting that the controversy has been completely misconstrued.
The debate erupted after FIFA shared an image of the half-completed Benin-Kebbi Stadium on social media, drawing widespread criticism from Nigerians who questioned how funds allocated for the project were spent. The stadium, one of several funded under FIFA’s Goal Project initiative, was meant to boost football infrastructure development across the country.
Reacting to the uproar in an exclusive interview with ARISE NEWS, Pinnick defended the transparency of the process, explaining that FIFA’s financial oversight left no room for mismanagement.
“If FIFA gives you their money, they audit their money, they know A to Z, and they have standards. So if the contract was about 1.1 million dollars, 1.1 million dollars in 2020, how much was it in naira? Less than 400 million naira . That’s what people don’t know.
“Everything went according to plan. And even in the contract, I can share it, it was stated clearly that there was no variation. COVID came, and after COVID, you started building, your workers on site and COVID, everybody had to go.There was no additional dime to the contract, no variation even in spite of COVID. There was a time in Nigerian football, I said, listen, you can hate Amaju Pinnick but love Nigerian football. Love Nigerian football.”
Pinnick urged Nigerians to avoid jumping to conclusions without verifying facts, stressing that his administration prioritised accountability and the growth of Nigerian football. “So I just want to appeal, let us get our facts right before we come out to the public and start saying things,” he appealed.
FIFA’s Goal Project, launched globally to support football development, has faced mixed reactions in Nigeria, with some praising its intent and others questioning the state of several project sites across the country.
Melissa Enoch
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