SAN FRANCISCO, May 06, (THEWILL) – The President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick, has said the $500,000 due to the NFF from the world football governing body FIFA, is statutory allocation not COVID-19 palliative.
Pinnick also said both FIFA and CAF have put in place stringent process of checks and balances that make misappropriation of funds to their affiliates practically impossible.
The NFF president made this known via his personal twitter account in reaction to enquiries by some stakeholders concerning the $500,000 that is due to the federation from FIFA.
To help cushion the negative impact of the deadly coronavirus on football, FIFA announced that each of the federations affiliated to it would be given $500,000 to help in mitigating the effect of the COVID-19 lockdown.
Pinnick while assuring Nigerians that the funds will be used judiciously said the money from FIFA is not relief funds but one of the statutory allocations that come with strict guidelines on usage.
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He also said that apart from the checks and balances from FIFA, any money that comes into the accounts of the football federation is reported to the minister of sports with all the necessary details.
“It is pertinent to note that every fund received by the federation goes through a stringent financial process of checks and balances before the funds are spent.
“Any monies received by the federation from FIFA, CAF or sponsors are reported to the honourable minister of sports with a detailed cover letter from these sources about spending regulations and requirements.
“What FIFA has done now, though, is to release funds that were meant to be released later in the year, earlier. This is part of FIFA’s plans to help ameliorate hardships that this novel coronavirus has and will cause. It is not a palliative as some have speculated.
“It simply means the different federations are, in a manner of speaking, getting July’s allowances in May. Why? Because world football governing body recognises how much the economic and football landscape has changed and is making concerted efforts to mitigate the effects.
“Even though these funds are going to be released early, all federations will still be required to follow the rules of spending them.
“FIFA hasn’t waived those rules. If a federation gets its allocation, it is expected to spend them on agreed parameters. FIFA’s vigorous auditing processes will still be in effect,” he explained.
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