Lausanne (AFP)
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Monday reduced from five to two years the suspension pronounced by Fifa last November against the former boss of African football, Ahmad Ahmad, a few days before the election of his successor.
The sports court found the Malagasy leader guilty of a cascade of ethical violations, including the "distribution of gifts" and "embezzlement", thus confirming his ineligibility while he was running for a second term.
Ahmad Ahmad was notably accused of having used the money of the African Football Confederation (CAF) to invite certain presidents of national federations to a pilgrimage to Mecca, "without direct connection with football", explains CAS.
But the arbitration panel exonerated him in a separate case, which had earned him police custody in Marseille in 2019, relating to the breach of an equipment contract with Puma for the benefit of the French SME Tactical Steel , for a higher amount.
The three arbitrators consider it impossible "to conclude that Mr. Ahmad drew any personal advantage" from this episode, the CAS continued in a statement.
In addition to reducing his suspension period, the Lausanne-based court has divided by four the fine imposed on the 61-year-old leader, lowering it from 200,000 (185,000 euros) to 50,000 Swiss francs (45,000 euros).
If the CAS had promised to decide before the election of the new president of CAF, Friday in Rabat, the campaign has in the meantime been strongly settled in favor of negotiations carried out by Fifa.
The four candidates finally agreed on a "common program", which remains to be revealed, and the Ivorian Jacques Anouma, the Senegalese Augustin Senghor and the Mauritanian Ahmed Yahya have joined the South African Patrice Motsepe, announced Sunday the world football body.
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