Ahmad Ahmad Reinstated As CAF President
The Malagasy who has been President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) since March 17, 2017 was banned for five years by FIFA in November 2020 for financial misconduct.
The FIFA ethics committee found “Ahmad had breached his duty of loyalty, offered gifts and other benefits, mismanaged funds and abused his position as the CAF President.”
Ahmad, a former Government official in Madagascar, was also fined 200,000 Swiss francs ($220,000).
Ahmad’s first four-year term was clouded with allegations of financial wrongdoing and misconduct at the Confederation of African Football headquarters in Cairo.
He was detained by French authorities in Paris on the eve of the Women’s World Cup for questioning about a CAF equipment deal with a company that appeared to have little connection with soccer.
“The investigation into Mr. Ahmad’s conduct in his position as CAF President during the period from 2017 to 2019 concerned various CAF-related governance issues, including the organization and financing of an Umrah pilgrimage to Mecca, his involvement in CAF’s dealings with the sports equipment company Tactical Steel and other activities,” FIFA said in a statement.
CAF Governance Committee had in January 2021 disqualified Ahmad Ahmad (following his ban) and cleared two candidates alongside another two who will require further checks to participate in the CAF elections slated for March 12, 2021 in Rabat, Morocco.
In the absence of Ahmad, Mr. Constant Selemani Omari has been President on-the-interim.
The Congolese, Selemani was also barred from contesting in the March 12 elections, as he is also under investigation by FIFA’s Ethics Committee, who are probing both his role, and that of Ahmad’s, in a decision to amend a billion-dollar TV contract.
In a twist of fate, the CAS today, temporarily reinstated Ahmad Ahmad pending judgement on when the final award is issued on March 12, but didn’t rule on his eligibility.
He will now need to overturn decisions ruling him ineligible to run, since his appeal at CAS was not against the decision barring him from contesting the elections but against his FIFA ban.
