FAM president Nyamilandu loses his seat as African Anglophone FIFA Council representative to Nigerian Pinnick

Iniatially, Pinnick was touted to run for CAF presidency

* Kenyan Nick Mwendwa and Zambian Andrew Kamanga withdrew to support Pinnick

By Duncan Mlanjira

Football Association of Malawi (FAM) president Nyamilandu has lost his seat as African Anglophone FIFA Council representative after being beaten by Nigeria FA president Amaju Pinnick by 43 votes to 8 in the polls held on Friday.

Initially, Nyamilandu was up against Pinnick, Nicholas Mwendwa of Kenya and Zambian Andrew Kamanga but Kamanga withdrew on Wednesday while Mwendwa announced his pull out hours before the election — both wanting to support Pinnick.

Reports indicate that there was deep electioneering as influential African football administrator Pinnick played a huge role in enticing member FAs to have South African billionaire Patrice Motsepe be ushered in as new Confederation of African Football (CAF) president unopposed.

Pinnick was initially touted to run for the CAF presidency but opted to run for the FIFA membership position.

Motsepe was up against strong contenders the presidency — Jacques Anouma from Côte d’Ivoire, Augustin Senghor from Senegal and Ahmed Yahya from Mauritanian — but all agreed to withdraw and support the South African, who owns Premier Soccer League side Mamelodi Sundowns.

It is also reported that FIFA-brokered meetings of the contenders in Morocco and Mauritania that led to the mining magnate Motsepe becoming the sole candidate.

Senghor and Yahya were given the first and second vice-president roles while Anouma — a former FIFA executive committee member who initially declared the pact “undemocratic” — becomes a special advisor to Motsepe.

Motsepe, who is the ninth richest man in Africa with a personal wealth estimated at $2.9 billion by Forbes magazine, has replaced Ahmad Ahmad who was ineligible to contest as he is facing a ban imposed by FIFA for breaching FIFA Ethics Code.

Nyamilandu had replaced Ghana FA president, Kwesi Nyantakyi two years ago, who had resigned and in the polls he defeated Tanzanian Leodegar Tenga and the most powerful football administrator, South Africa FA president Danny Jordaan.

Prior to the 2018 polls, influential Jordaan lost out in other three bids for a place at the FIFA Council – which carries with it immense power in the game and what was more bruising to him is losing to little known Nyamilandu in as far as world football is concerned.

In an exclusive interview on COSAFA Show (Podcast) last month, Nyamilandu had said it had been a humbling and privileged two-year experience in the FIFA Council representing the COSAFA through which he has gained so much in as far as high level decisions for global and African football are concerned.

The FIFA Council consists of 37 members with the president elected by the FIFA Congress and eight as vice presidents and 28 other members elected by member associations — each for a term of four years.

“I have been able to influence some of FIFA’s high level decisions,” he had said. “I’ve been a team player because when you are in there, FIFA expects its visions and objectives to be achieved.

“The FIFA Council needs members who are level headed and sober minded individuals and are expected to assist FIFA not to depart from its course of action,” he had said.