International Football
CRISIS ERUPTS IN CAF OVER ALLEGATIONS OF DICTATORIAL TENDENCIES, FAVOURITISM AND FRAUD
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
There has been an implosion in the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a standing committee chairman resigns after open disagreement with the confederation president, Ahmad.
Musa Hassan Bility, the Liberian chairman of Committee on CHAN and also a member of the Emergency Committee has tendered a letter of resignation from both bodies.
His resignation has revealed the fragile bong among the members who were initially united in upstaging the ‘ancient regime’ two years ago.
Halfway into the first tenure of the new helmsmen, open disagreement has come up.
Bility alleged in his resignation letter dated February 1, 2019 that each time he disagreed with the CAF president or any of his “close associates”, on any issue, the president would take that against him and would thereafter decide whether he would function or not.
He pointed at the Ahmad scheduling a meeting of the CHAN Committee without his knowledge, even though he, Bility was the chairman.
Bility remarked that as the chairman of the committee, he was supposed to be at the head and also duly informed of the agenda and the purpose of the meeting.
That appears to be the immediate cause of Bility’s resignation. He however also frowned at
He informed that Ahmad had dictatorial tendencies. According to Bility who at one time wanted to contest for the FIFA presidency, Ahmad at their last meeting proclaimed: “I am the President of CAF, I am the President of every committee”.
This according to Bility is not correct.
He declared: “Mr. President you are the President of CAF but not the President of all Committees. These are Statutory Committees and must function independently and report to the Executive committee in accordance with their statutory mandates.
“Assuming their responsibilities, as you are doing now, makes it impossible for you to play your role as the Head of CAF. Obviously, performing these tasks deprives you of the roles you ought to play such as to supervise or counter check or review the performances of others.
“This is precisely why the framers of our Statues enshrined the appropriate administrative layers in it for the smooth and transparent function of our noble Institution.”
Bility also complained of the lopsidedness of composition of committees in CAF. “The current composition of the CAF Standing Committees clearly begs question of good governance and transparency.
“We have 54 members and there’s absolutely no reason why any standing committee (especially the keys ones) should have more than one person from a member Association/Country.
“I have discussed this with the President and he has responded in the usual manner: “I’m the President and I do as I want”.
Probably the most damaging of the allegations made by Bility is that of financial misconduct.
In his letter of resignation, he wrote: “Lastly, and very sadly, the President’s approach to issues concerning his colleagues is rather sad and divisive. A case in point has to do with a $200,000 that was wired by CAF to an unknown account in Europe.
“This money was designated for the Liberian FA while I was serving as it’s President. But interestingly CAF sent it to the account of a firm in Poland that deals in artifacts. CAF claims it received the instruction from the Liberia FA to send the funds to this firm. Of course, this is false and misleading.
“This begs two very important questions: can CAF send funds intended for MA to a third-party beneficiary? In the wake of tight International restrictions on financial transactions aimed at combatting terrorism and money laundering, were requirements such as Invoice and contract that would clearly state the purpose for which the funds were sent presented to the CAF before it authorized these transactions? “And if any, where these instruments in conformity with CAF Financial regulations? Why would CAF authorize a payment intended for football development in a member Association’s Country to a firm that deals in artifacts two years in a row without any red flag? Why CAF didn’t request for the first utilization report before sending the second payment to the same dubious recipients?
Representatives from four national players’ unions on Thursday launched a new global organisation in Madrid, which they say will strengthen footballers’ rights and improve dialogue with governing bodies.
Opening a new front in the battle over who speaks for players, the International Footballers’ Association (AIF) was unveiled, with David Aganzo, president of Spain’s Association of Footballers (AFE) and a former head of the global union FIFPRO, appointed to lead the organisation.
Players’ unions from Brazil, Mexico and Switzerland were also represented.
The initiative drew a swift rebuke from FIFPRO, which said in a statement that Aganzo was acting out of self-interest and aligning himself with organisations linked to football governing bodies, as well as groups expelled from FIFPRO over alleged mismanagement.
Aganzo rejected the criticism, saying he “will not seek confrontation with FIFPRO”.
The launch comes amid strained relations between players’ unions and football authorities, particularly over the expanding international match calendar.
Relations between FIFA and FIFPRO deteriorated in 2024 after the union lodged a complaint with the European Commission, arguing that the global governing body was abusing its dominant position by adding competitions without sufficient consultation.
Aganzo denied suggestions that the new initiative was backed by FIFA president Gianni Infantino, but said “direct dialogue with FIFA” was essential.
AFE’s Extraordinary General Assembly approved the initiative in February with 99.8% of votes cast in favour of spearheading the creation of the AIF.
The same assembly also backed AFE’s withdrawal from FIFPRO, citing what it described as a “complete lack of transparency, as well as its total lack of dialogue with international bodies.”
“We represent over 30,000 footballers, and we come here with a new model aimed at safeguarding players’ rights and facilitating direct communication with all international bodies,” Aganzo told reporters.
“We are in contact with 15 to 20 unions already who were very aware of this moment and waiting for this announcement to make their move and join our initiative.”
He declined to identify any unions beyond those present.
Asked about a report that a senior envoy to U.S. President Donald Trump had urged FIFA to replace Iran with Italy at the upcoming World Cup, Aganzo urged caution.
“These are more political issues; on April 30th, I’ll be speaking to Gianni (Infantino) at the FIFA Congress, and we will discuss those things,” Aganzo said.
“People who want to go to the World Cup have to earn their place on sporting merit.”
-Reuters
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A new trial over the death of Argentine soccer legend Diego Maradona will begin on Tuesday, with seven members of his medical team charged with negligent homicide nearly a year after a previous case collapsed in a mistrial.
An enduring presence in Argentina – from towering murals to tattoos, opens new tab – Maradona died on November 25, 2020, at 60, after a heart attack while he was recuperating from brain surgery to remove a blood clot.
A court in San Isidro, near Buenos Aires, will hear testimony from just under 100 witnesses as it tries Maradona’s medical team over alleged negligence in the death of the 1986 World Cup champion.
His medical team has denied wrongdoing. The defendants are psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov, neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luque, psychologist Carlos Angel Diaz, physician Nancy Edith Forlini, nurse Ricardo Almiron, head nurse Mariano Ariel Perroni, and physician Pedro Pablo Di Spagna. An eighth defendant, nurse Dahiana Madrid, will be tried in a separate jury trial, with no date yet set.
Two months into the first trial, which started last March, a mistrial was declared when one of three judges, Julieta Makintach, resigned after video surfaced showing her being interviewed by a camera crew in the corridors of the courthouse and in her office as part of a documentary, in breach of judicial rules.
The retrial will require both prosecutors and defense lawyers to reassess their strategies after the first trial aired photographs, videos, audio recordings and forensic evidence. Many witnesses, including Maradona’s children and his former wife, Claudia Villafane, have already testified.
Prosecutors argued in the initial trial that medical professionals broke treatment protocols and that the home where Maradona was recovering from surgery amounted to a “theatre of horror,” where necessary care was not provided.
The defense countered that his death was inevitable given his longstanding health problems. Maradona struggled for decades with cocaine and alcohol addiction.
The negligence charges emerged in 2021 after prosecutors appointed a medical board to investigate Maradona’s death. The panel concluded his medical team acted in an “inappropriate, deficient and reckless” manner.
-Reuters
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Aliou Cisse has been named coach of the Angola national team, the country’s football federation (FAF) announced on Thursday, 24 hours after the Senegalese left his post in Libya.
The 50-year-old coach, who led Senegal to their maiden Africa Cup of Nations title in 2022, ended his short stint with the Libyan national team on Wednesday, after taking charge in March 2025.
“Welcome, Aliou Cisse, head coach of the Angola national team,” the FAF said on Facebook. Angola, which failed to reach this year’s World Cup, will start their 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign in September.
-Reuters
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