Russia 2018: Nigeria’s Amaju Pinnick Named As Match Commissioner For France, Belgium Semifinals Tomorrow

Embattled Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) President, Mr Amaju Pinnick, has been confirmed as the Match Commissioner for the Russia 2018 FIFA World Cup first semifinal match between France and Belgium in Saint Petersburg tomorrow.

The match begins at 7 pm Nigeria time at the 67,000-capacity St Petersburg Arena and will be a potentially explosive encounter as the European border neighbours are arguably the strongest teams in the competition with France’s Paul Pogba, Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappe, will be taking on the Belgians who have Romelo Lukaku, Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard.

This will be the fifth match Pinnick would commission at the finals in Russia. and he remains the only Nigerian involved at such a high level of operation at the FIFA World Cup.

Last Friday in Nizhny Novgorod, Pinnick was also the Match Commissioner of the quarterfinal clash between France and Uruguay which the Blues won. Other games were Iran and Portugal,  Panama and Tunisia, and the game between Sweden and Switzerland.