African football: Mauritanian Ahmed Yahya aims for CAF presidency
Mauritanian Ahmed Yahya.
FFRIM
Text by: David Kalfa Follow
3 min
Ahmed Yahya announced his candidacy for the presidency of the African Football Confederation (CAF) on November 9, 2020. The head of the Mauritanian Federation is the fourth candidate declared for the election of March 12, 2021, after the outgoing president of the CAF Ahmad, the Ivorian Jacques Anouma and the South African Patrice Motsepe.
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The list of candidates for the presidency of the African Football Confederation (
CAF
) continues to grow, just before the deadline (November 12) to submit his file.
That of Mauritanian Ahmed Yahya landed at CAF headquarters.
This is in any case what the boss of the Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania (FFRIM) announced on November 9, 2020 on social networks: "
Anxious to promote African football and at the end of a deep reflection and extensive consultations, I decided to present my candidacy.
"
Background work
Ahmed Yahya is not the best known and most influential of association presidents.
But he has become a figure of African football over the past ten years.
Elected president of the FFRIM in 2011 at only 35 years old, he then embarked on a vast construction site for the Mauritanian round ball.
Upon arrival, the national team A is in 190th place in the ranking of nations.
With the help of coach Patrice Neveu, Ahmed Yahya is working to relaunch the national championship and the various selections.
First success in 2013 with the qualification of the local national team for the 2014 African Nations Championship (CHAN 2014).
A few months later, another Frenchman, Corentin Martins, becomes coach.
After failing to qualify for CHAN 2016, the former midfielder leads the Mourabitounes to CHAN 2018 and especially to their first African Cup of Nations, CAN 2019. They are now evolving around the 100th place in the FIFA Ranking.
What supports
?
These results earned Ahmed Yahya recognition and awards, such as the title of Federation President of the Year 2017 at the CAF Awards.
In 2017, he was elected to the Executive Committee of the African Football Confederation (CAF).
In 2018, he received with great pomp in Nouakchott the president of the International Football Federation (FIFA) Gianni Infantino who warmly congratulated him: “
The work carried out in Mauritania by the federation is an example, not only at the local, regional and African level. but an example at the global level.
"
Close to the influential presidents of the federations of North Africa, Ahmed Yahya nevertheless represents the western zone A. Will he get the essential support there to be able to be officially a candidate on March 12, 2021 in Rabat and then break through during an upcoming election? more and more disputed?
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