Nigeria's Amobi Ezeaku and 4 other Africans included in historic FIFA pro bono counsel

Nigerian lawyer and football administrator Amobi Ezeaku has been included in a historic new group by the world football governing body, FIFA.

FIFA has created its first-ever independent integrity experts and pro bono counsel groups which it revealed in a statement, with 41 members appointed.

According to the statement, Ezeaku and his fellow Africans made the list of 20 pro bono counsel appointed.

The appointment came after a thorough review of over 100 applications submitted worldwide with the 20 selected.

The four other nations appointed in the group include South Africa, Kenya, Malawi and Tanzania.

Ezeaku, who was the former Team Manager and Transfer Matching System Manager at NPFL club Enugu Rangers, and his colleagues are expected to help guarantee the rights of individuals who lack the necessary financial means to defend themselves before FIFA’s judicial bodies.

Barrister Ezeaku is the youngest adminstrator to win the NPFL after Rangers won the title during his time with the club in 2016.

In terms of what the groups have been created to do, the integrity experts will perform a fundamental role for FIFA;

“Assisting with the necessary investigations into potential breaches of the FIFA regulations and will be entrusted by FIFA to apply their professional knowledge in their respective fields in order to, amongst other functions, gather appropriate evidence, engage with third parties and represent or support FIFA in proceedings,” the statement read.

“In addition, as an essential component of FIFA’s legal aid system, the newly appointed pro bono counsel will perform a crucial role in guaranteeing the rights of individuals who would otherwise lack the financial means to defend themselves appropriately before FIFA’s judicial bodies,” it added.