Paris (AFP)

The President of the African Football Confederation (CAF) Ahmad Ahmad was arrested Thursday by the anti-corruption Office of the judicial police (Oclciff): enough to amplify the chaos after the controversy of the final of the African Champions League in replay.

African football would have done such bad publicity two weeks from its flagship competition, the African Cup of Nations (21 June-19 July) in Egypt.

It is Jeune Afrique who dropped the bomb on Thursday mid-morning: "Ahmad Ahmad was arrested around 8:30, to be heard" about a "contract broken unilaterally by the CAF with the German equipment manufacturer Puma".

Ahmad Ahmad was in Paris during the Fifa Election Congress held in the French capital Wednesday, just before the start of the Women's World Championship on Friday at Parc des Princes.

Fifa then merely indicated that the N.1 of African football was "questioned by the French authorities". A source close to the case confirmed to AFP that the Malagasy was arrested by the anti-corruption Office of the judicial police (Oclciff).

Fifa "takes note of the alleged events concerning Mr. Ahmad Ahmad, who is questioned by the French authorities" for "allegations related to his mandate as President of CAF".

- "Zero tolerance !" -

The international federation does not know the "details" of this investigation, is not able to "comment" and asks "the French authorities any information" that could interest its "ethics commission", ie the internal justice of football world.

"There is no more room for corruption, it is zero tolerance, what has happened must not be repeated, it must be clear to those in and out of this room," warned on Wednesday. Gianni Infantino, president of Fifa before his reelection, evoking the past scandals of the Sepp era Blatter, his predecessor.

In the case revealed on Thursday, Puma, after alleged termination of the contract unilaterally, "claimed compensation of $ 100,000 but the CAF did not pay the sum," said AFP Amr Fahmy, the former Secretary-General of CAF.

According to documents consulted by AFP, CAF initially contracted in December 2017 with Puma for the supply of equipment intended in particular to dress the 580 volunteers of the African Nations Championship (CHAN) 2018, reserved event to African players playing on the continent. Shortly after, CAF broke this contract in favor of another company based in France providing Adidas equipment, for an amount greater than the initial contract.

- "Question of credibility" -

According to concordant sources, Mr. Ahmad is also the subject of an investigation by the Fifa Ethics Commission, opened in particular following a complaint for "mismanagement" transmitted last March to the internal justice of Fifa by Amr Fahmy. The latter had been dismissed in April by the CAF.

The arrest of his boss falls badly for the CAF, already stuck in a controversy monster for his decision to replay the final return of the African Champions League, which ended before its term last Friday in the confusion after a breakdown from video assistance to arbitration.

"I saw that there were problems, it's unfortunate ... (...) It's a matter of credibility for all of Africa," Gianni Infantino said on Wednesday.

African football is at a turning point in its credibility: already weakened by the bumped process of designating Egypt as the host country of the next CAN, after Cameroon has been removed from the organization in confusion, it tackles a new period of turbulence.

Before the opening game on June 21, uncertainties, tight deadlines, security fears and organizational problems still hovered over the land of the Pharaohs, who had only six months to prepare the biggest CAN of history, 24 selections.

? 2019 AFP