Former President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick, has hit back at growing criticism surrounding the FIFA Goal Project in Kebbi State, describing the allegations of financial mismanagement as “completely misconstrued” and politically driven.
The former NFF boss, who oversaw the initial implementation of FIFA’s infrastructure development programme in Nigeria, insisted that every stage of the project followed global best practices and was carried out under FIFA’s direct financial supervision.
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Pinnick clarified that no additional funds were requested or disbursed beyond the approved $1.2 million allocation, even after the project suffered delays during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“These claims are completely false and without merit,” Pinnick said in a statement. “FIFA maintains strict oversight of all Goal Projects, from planning to completion. Every dollar spent is audited and accounted for. The Kebbi facility followed due process, and the project was duly approved, monitored, and certified by FIFA.”
He dismissed comparisons between Nigeria’s Kebbi project and Kenya’s 60,000-capacity stadium currently under construction, describing them as misleading. “The Kebbi project is a FIFA technical centre, not a government mega-stadium,” Pinnick explained. “It’s absurd to equate two completely different projects in both scale and funding.”
Pinnick further expressed disappointment at how misinformation has been used to discredit football authorities at a time when the nation should be uniting behind the Super Eagles ahead of their crucial World Cup playoffs in Morocco next month.
“This is not the time for baseless distractions,” he warned. “Our focus should be on helping the Super Eagles qualify for the World Cup, not tearing down progress with false narratives.”
FIFA’s Goal Programme was introduced to help developing nations build football infrastructure, with Nigeria among the first African countries to benefit from the initiative in the early 2000s.
