On Thursday, the
worst-kept secret in African football was confirmed by no less than
the President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Ahmad Ahmad.
With journalists from around the world gathered in Cairo for the Africa
Cup of Nations, Ahmad revealed that CAF's executive committee had requested
FIFA's intervention in its administrative processes.
Consequently, FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura
would now be designated general delegate for Africa and would work with Ahmad as well
as a team of experts to, among other things, oversee a forensic audit of CAF.
Ahmad ended by reassuring the media that there was "no one better than
FIFA to help".
An official statement released later provided greater detail: Samoura
would begin working with CAF on August 1 and continue till January 31 next
year. Then, the statement added, there would be the option to extend her
stewardship at the discretion of both CAF and FIFA.
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| Fatma Samoura, the new boss |
Ahmad is currently under investigation by FIFA's ethics committee and
has been in the eye of the storm over allegations of corruption, financial
misappropriation and sexual harassment.
Earlier this month, he was detained by the French police for questioning
over allegations of corruption, but was released without charge.
The allegations relate to a deal brokered by French company Tactical
Steel - owned by an allegedly close friend of Ahmad's aide Loic Gerand - for
the purchase of equipment at a significant mark-up from the price which had
been quoted by German sportswear giants Puma.
There have also been allegations of abuse of power in the summary
dismissal of former CAF General Secretary Amr Fahmy, while many raised
their eyebrows when it was revealed that Ahmad had paid for a number
of African football association heads to undertake the hajj pilgrimage.
Most recently, CAF had to deal with a tricky situation involving the CAF
Champions League final, which ended in controversy in Tunis.
Defending champions Esperance were handed the trophy, but only after
opponents Wydad Casablanca refused to carry on playing after a second-half goal
was ruled out.
With the video assistant referee (VAR) equipment unavailable due to
logistical bottlenecks, a situation Wydad claimed they were unaware of, it was
impossible to review the contentious decision.
It led to a standoff on the pitch, with Ahmad himself seeking to
mediate, but after an hour-long wait, the Moroccans forfeited.
That decision, which was in line with CAF's rules, was set aside four
days later in favour of a replay on "neutral" ground, with the
executive committee citing inadequate security in the second leg in Tunis.
This led to Tunisian Prime Minister Youssef Chahed referring to CAF's
handling of the situation as a "farce".
It was a development with potentially far-reaching consequences, not
least of which is the insistence of both teams of their rectitude, which could
lead to complicated legal proceedings.
It could also inflame tensions at the Africa Cup of Nations: in the
eventuality that Morocco and Tunisia meet at some point, there is a
concern that relations between rival supporters could be strained to a breaking
point.
More importantly, CAF's unwillingness to honour its own rules and
laid-down procedures undermines its credibility as a governing body.
The Office of the Swiss Attorney General is currently investigating
several cases of corruption in FIFA. Earlier this month, a Swiss federal
prosecutor was forced to recuse himself after failing to disclose two private
meetings held with FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
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| President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Ahmad Ahmad. |
Therefore, despite FIFA's careful moves, the sporting body has not
entirely purged itself of suspicion. Whether it can do a proper job of helping
a clean-up of CAF remains to be seen.
The reactions to the FIFA move have been swift and damning. The
inference that CAF is unable to handle its own affairs and deal with its
problems internally is one that is "a massive slap in the face of African
football", according to journalist and African football expert, Mark
Gleeson.
"It retards a lot of the progress that has been made over the years
and just goes to show how important good administration is to the
game," said Gleeson.
"As footballers have gotten better, the administrators have gotten
poorer."
Critics also believe the FIFA move is an indictment on those entrusted
with the responsibility to govern the continent's football.
CAF's 22-member executive committee has the power to solve the problems
of African football, according to Osasu Obayiuwana, a lawyer and journalist. He
insists on the implications of a FIFA intervention in the running of the
African game are grave.
"It is the responsibility of those 22 men to solve the problems of
African football. If they are unable to do so, it says a lot about the quality
of leadership African football has," Obayiuwana told Al Jazeera.
There are reports that there was no unanimity within the executive
committee concerning FIFA's intervention. It is also unclear how Ahmad and
Samoura will make their partnership work.
Experts said it seemed like a lifetime ago when Ahmad had swept to office on the back of tremendous
goodwill, much of which is now eroded. By making CAF effectively a satellite of
FIFA, they say, he has taken African football into uncharted territory. - Africa
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