‘I told Genot Rohr to select Ahmed Musa for the 2018 World Cup’ – Former NFF President Amaju Pinnick

Amaju Pinnick, former President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), recently opened up about his involvement in the selection of Ahmed Musa for Nigeria’s Super Eagles squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Speaking at the 2024 CAF Awards in Morocco, Pinnick revealed the pivotal role he played in ensuring Musa’s inclusion, despite doubts surrounding his participation due to limited playing time at Leicester City.

Pinnick shared how Musa’s place in the team was in jeopardy just weeks before the tournament, as he had not been regularly featuring for his club. According to Pinnick, Musa was close to being dropped for the World Cup after failing to play in two or three international matches leading up to the event. At that point, Pinnick took matters into his own hands.

“I recall when even Ahmed Musa was about to be dropped from going to two, three matches to the World Cup because he wasn’t playing for Leicester and had a lot of issues,” Pinnick said in a video shared by OJB Sports. He went on to explain that he personally intervened with then-head coach Gernot Rohr, insisting that Musa must play in an upcoming international friendly match. “This is my own (in Delta we call it) slot. He must go, let him be the 24th player,” Pinnick added.

Musa’s inclusion paid off, as he played a crucial role in Nigeria’s campaign, scoring a memorable brace against Iceland, a performance that solidified his place as a World Cup hero for the Super Eagles. Reflecting on the outcome, Pinnick humbly remarked, “Musa was the hero at the World Cup. I am not giving myself credit, but there are some things that God just imputed in me to say.”

This revelation has ignited conversations about the complexities of player selection, particularly the influence of football administrators and the factors that shape such decisions.