Governing Bodies
MORE TROUBLE IN CAF AS GENERAL SECRETARY RESIGNS
In less than three years since March 2017, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) will be having its fourth General Secretary as the current one, Moud Haijji of Morocco sensationally resigned on Monday plunging the troubled football body into further crisis.
Sports Village Square recalls that Haijji, who was appointed on 11 April 2019 is less than a year on the saddle. He succeeded Amr Fahmy who was fired.
Sadly, Fahmy who had planned to contest the CAF presidential election next year, died a few days ago.
Hajji’s departure after less than a year in the job was confirmed by CAF, who said he was quitting for personal reasons. He leaves amid much turbulence in the African game.
Hajji, a former Moroccan government official and a trained dentist, took over last April from Amr Fahmy, who was fired after submitting evidence to FIFA’s ethics committee of alleged misappropriation of funds by CAF president Ahmad.
The ethics committee of soccer’s world governing body confirmed investigating the allegation but more than a year later no action has been taken against Ahmad, who was also questioned by French police last June.
Ahmad has denied any wrongdoing.
Ahmad, days after being taken in for questioning in Paris about an equipment supplier deal involving a close associate and CAF, agreed to allow FIFA to send its general secretary Fatma Samoura to Cairo for six months to help restructure the organisation and sort out its finances.
An independent review of the running of CAF by Price Waterhouse Cooper (PWC), seen by Reuters last month, found “potential elements of mismanagement” and “possible abuse of power” amidst concern about widespread use of cash payments.
FIFA’s Samoura restructured much of CAF, including controversially exiting a lucrative television deal which has meant that none of African football’s major matches over the last month have been shown by major broadcasters.
However, CAF did not agree to Samoura staying on when its executive committee met in Morocco last month, which angered FIFA president Gianni Infantino according to sources close to the African soccer body.
The decision not to allow Samoura to continue came after Infantino had suggested more sweeping reforms for the African game, including a super league for Africa’s top clubs in what could be a test case for the future of other continents.
CAF has not yet approved any of Infantino’s plan and the sources close to the African organisation say Ahmad, who is also a FIFA vice president, is on a collision course with Infantino.
“I would like to warmly thank President Ahmad Ahmad for giving me the opportunity to serve the football of our continent at such a level of responsibility,” Hajji said in a statement.
Ahmad said Hajji’s work had been invaluable in driving the CAF reforms.
“I would like to salute a committed, loyal and above all passionate football player, and wish him all the success he deserves in the rest of his career,” the CAF statement quoted Ahmad as saying.
PAST GENERAL SECRETARIES OF CAF
- Mourad Fahmy, Egypt (1961 – 1982)
- Mostapha Fahmy, Egypt (1962 -2010)
- Hicham El Amrani, Morocco (2010 -2017)
- Amr Fahmy, Egypt (2017 -2019)
- Moud Haijji Morocco (2019-2020)
Governing Bodies
Nigeria becoming an epicentre of global badminton as Francis Orbih enters the Badminton World Federation Council
Laurels on the courts and now glory in the boardroom sums up the mark that badminton is making in Nigeria.
The President, Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN), Francis Orbih, has been elected as a council member of the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
The election took place during the BWF Annual General Meeting on Saturday in Xiamen, China.
Orbih emerged victorious over top contenders from other African countries.
He will join Cameroon’s Odette Assembe Engoulou on the council, while Chipo Zumburani (Zimbabwe) and Hadia ElSaid (Egypt) missed out.
An elated Orbih expressed his gratitude to fellow badminton presidents across the globe for their trust and support.
He said, “I am deeply honoured by the trust placed in me by my peers across the badminton world.
“I look forward to quality representation, driving development initiatives, and strengthening badminton’s global reach over the next four years.”
Orbih also acknowledged the support of the Federal Government of Nigeria, particularly the National Sports Commission (NSC), which he said played a significant role in his successful bid.
“The Chairman and the Director General of the NSC monitored the entire process. I’m grateful for their involvement and confident Nigeria will benefit from this,” he stated.
He further appreciated the BFN board members and the Nigerian badminton community for their prayers and continued belief in his leadership.
“From the day I declared my intentions, the board members of BFN have been supportive, and I promise not to disappoint them,” Orbih concluded.
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
A former member of the FIFA Council, Mamoutou Toure, has been released from jail in Mali after almost two years in detention for alleged corruption, Malian media reports said on Wednesday.
Toure, president of the Malian Football Federation since 2019, was released after 622 days in prison on Tuesday.
He served on the FIFA Council, world football’s all-powerful decision-making body, for four years until last month when he lost his seat after failing to contest new elections.
The 67-year-old was arrested in August 2023 on allegations of embezzling $28 million of public funds but was granted a provisional release order by the Malian courts, reports said.
He was accused of misconduct during his time as the National Assembly’s financial and administrative director from 2013-2019.
Toure denied all charges and, during his time in jail, was last August re-elected as Malian Football Federation president for a second consecutive term, with his supporters claiming he was a victim of a conspiracy fuelled by detractors.
While in jail, he received a letter of support from FIFA president Gianni Infantino. However, as of last month, Toure is no longer a member of the FIFA Council or the Confederation of African Football’s executive committee.
-Reuters
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has denied reports of an outstanding debt to former captain Christian Chukwu and has challenged anyone with verifiable documents to prove otherwise.
Chukwu, a former national team captain and chief coach, died last Saturday.
The Nigeria Football Federation decried statements in a section of social media that the football-ruling body was indebted to the deceased.
Reacting to one statement on social media that claimed NFF owed the 1980 Africa Cup of Nations-winning team captain the sum of $128,000, NFF General Secretary, Dr Mohammed Sanusi, said: “There is no record in the NFF of any outstanding indebtedness to ‘Chairman’ Christian Chukwu.
“During the first term of the Board headed by Amaju Pinnick, a committee was set up to diligently peruse the papers of coaches who were being owed, even from previous NFF administrations.
“That committee was given the clear mandate to verify all debts and ensure that the coaches being owed were paid immediately. I am aware that the ‘Chairman’ was in the employ of the NFF between 2002 and 2005, before he was relieved of the post following the 1-1 draw with Angola in a FIFA World Cup qualifying match in Kano in August 2005. There is certainly no record of indebtedness to him in the NFF.”
Sanusi challenged anyone with genuine and verifiable documents of NFF indebtedness to any coach, who has worked with any of the National Teams over the past two decades, to come forward and tender those documents.
“As a credible organization that is very much alive to its responsibilities, if we are confronted with any genuine document of indebtedness to any coach, we will offset the debt immediately.”
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
The league title will be icing on Soname’s birthday cake on Sunday
As major global sporting events beckon, Morocco’s monarch launches the Kenitra-Marrakech High-Speed rail project
Nigeria Premier League attains a crescendo this weekend
- WOMEN'S FOOTBALL1 week ago
Naira rain falls on Nigeria’s Flamingos after a 4-0 defeat of Algeria
- OBITUARY4 days ago
NFF mourns the demise of former FIFA referee, Bosede Momoh
- Nigerian Football2 days ago
Financial rainfall awaits Nigeria’s Flamingos for every goal scored in Algeria
- U-17 AFCON1 week ago
Morocco crowned CAF U-17 AFCON champions after dramatic penalty shootout win over Mali
- U-20 FOOTBALL7 days ago
Nigeria begin CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations title chase with Tunisian clash
- Nigerian Football6 days ago
Remo Stars maintain ‘7Up’ lead over Rivers United
- feature4 days ago
Ghana’s Cardinal, Appiah Turkson, listed as a possible Pope
- Nigerian Football3 days ago
Former WAFU President, Ogufere mourns Christian Chukwu