African Football Confederation: Ahmad, or lost ambitions
CAF President Ahmad, speaking at the ceremony rewarding the best players in African football in Hurghada, Egypt, January 7, 2020. Khaled DESOUKI AFP / Archives
Text by: Antoine Grognet Follow |
Farid Achache Follow
4 min
The Fifa Ethics Commission suspended the President of the African Confederation Ahmad for five years, in particular for embezzlement.
Arrived at the head of CAF in 2017 to everyone's surprise, he will not be able to complete his mandate.
Return on a sawtooth course at the head of CAF.
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It is an eviction which marks the premature end of a chaotic mandate and a divorce between Ahmad and Gianni Infantino, president of Fifa, against the backdrop of a slamming door.
On February 2, Gianni Infantino left, with his face closed and his teeth clenched, the Moroccan National Football Center where the CAF Executive Committee was held.
The president of Fifa did not digest the affront.
Indeed, the mission of its former secretary general, Fatma Samoura had not been extended by the directorate of CAF.
Reforms to satisfy Fifa
Six months earlier, the Senegalese had arrived with great fanfare, officially to accelerate the reform process of CAF.
A “putting under guardianship”, then creaked unofficially members of the Confederation, and an event which constituted a first point of rupture between Ahmad and Infantino.
However, in 2017, Infantino had given discreet but decisive support to the former Malagasy politician in his candidacy against the omnipotent Issa Hayatou, in place for almost 30 years.
On the strength of this support, after his election, Ahmad embarked on major reforms, going so far as to shift the CAN to June-July and increasing it to 24 teams in his first months in office.
Important changes, but obviously not enough enough in the eyes of Fifa.
Because Gianni Infantino, very involved in African issues, pleaded in November 2019 in Lubumbashi in the DRC for the creation of an African Super League with 20 clubs in order to replace the Champions League.
The president of Fifa also pushed for the CAN to be contested every four years.
He had defended this position, precisely last February, in Rabat, in front of the presidents of the Federations.
Fifa which, less than a year later, therefore puts an end to the mandate of the one who saw himself as a reformer of the CAF.
"Fifa is very powerful, it will not let anything go"
In January 2020, in Hurghada in Egypt, the day after the coronation of Senegalese Sadio Mané elected African Player of the Year, President Ahmad agreed to respond to RFI.
His communications advisor insisted that he be questioned about all the work done since his arrival.
Ahmad, he surprised us.
“
During my campaign, you all thought that I was
'a puppet'
and that I would never be elected,
” he blurted out a little annoyed after a visibly short night's sleep.
He concluded our interview with: "
I will be judged by my actions
."
He did not have time to defend his record when he was counting on running for a second term.
Six months earlier, during CAN 2019 in Egypt, a close friend of Ahmad had, off the microphone, hinted that the president was not really aware of the position he occupied.
“
I believe he manages CAF as he managed his political affairs in Madagascar.
I don't know if he really understood that Fifa is very powerful and that she will not let anything go
.
Premonitory?
In 2014, the
Sunday Times
claimed that the former Secretary of State for Sports, then Minister of Fisheries and finally Vice-President of the Senate in his country had perceived a bribe in the award of the Cup. world 2022 in Qatar.
According to the British daily, the leader would have received between 28,000 and 93,000 euros in exchange for his vote in favor of the small emirate.
What has never been proven until now.
However, from his arrival at the head of CAF, Ahmad's program was based on change and transparency in the management of the institution.
A discreet man, Ahmad had won his duel with Issa Hayatou by relying in particular on the voices of the 14 member countries of the Confederation of Southern African countries.
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Ahmad Ahmad, CAF president, suspended for five years by FIFA