Governing Bodies
Pressure Mounts on CAF General Secretary as Exco Member Questions Mandate
Calls for the removal of the Confederation of African Football’s General Secretary, Véron Mosengo-Omba, have intensified after a member of CAF’s executive committee publicly challenged the legality of his continued stay in office.
Samir Sobha, who also serves as president of the Mauritius Football Association, said Mosengo-Omba is “occupying the seat illegally” and should step aside. His remarks, first reported by The Guardian newspaper in the United Kingdom, add to concerns previously raised by Nigerian journalist Osasu Obayiuwana.
Sobha argued that Mosengo-Omba, 66, no longer holds the position legitimately under CAF’s employment regulations. According to Regulation 130 of CAF’s employment handbook, 63 is the compulsory retirement age for staff, with the possibility of a single three-year extension granted at the discretion of the president or the general secretary.
Mosengo-Omba was appointed general secretary in March 2021 at the age of 61. He turned 63 in October 2022 and was subsequently granted a three-year extension by CAF president Patrice Motsepe. That extension, Sobha contends, expired on 15 October 2025.
“As per the statutes, he is occupying the seat illegally right now,” Sobha was quoted as saying. “I don’t think that the SG is in any legal position to make decisions, to sign a document. I’m pleading with the president to rectify this position. We need to respect the statutes.”
He added that a decision should be taken swiftly to ensure the appointment of what he described as a “full-fledged and legitimate general secretary,” claiming that several African FA presidents share his view that Mosengo-Omba’s mandate has lapsed.
When asked about the matter following CAF’s executive committee meeting last Friday in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Motsepe declined to provide specific details, stating: “Retirement is governed by our rules and regulations. We deal with those things not just in accordance with legality, but also with governance. We will take the best decision as CAF, concerning employees.”
Sobha, however, maintained that corrective action is necessary. “Patrice Motsepe is a very good person; that’s my personal opinion. But it happens that things are not going in the right direction. Some issues need to be fixed,” he said.
Mosengo-Omba was absent from the Dar es Salaam meeting due to what was described as an urgent family matter in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Sobha said he would have raised his objections directly had the general secretary been present.
In a separate but related development, Sobha also addressed the controversy surrounding last month’s Africa Cup of Nations final in Rabat, where Morocco lost 1–0 to Senegal after a disputed penalty decision led to a temporary abandonment of play.
The Mauritian official apologised to Morocco for what he described as “a great injustice,” arguing that competition rules were not properly applied when Senegal’s players left the field before play resumed.
“I’m not saying we should not give the trophy to the Senegalese team. What has happened has happened already. We can’t change it,” Sobha said. “But we should put our ego aside and agree that an injustice has been done.”
His comments further underline growing tensions within CAF’s leadership ranks at a time when the organisation is facing renewed scrutiny over governance, regulatory compliance, and match officiating standards.
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Governing Bodies
Barcelona re-admitted to European Football Clubs body after Super League withdrawal
Barcelona have been unanimously re-admitted as a member of the European Football Clubs (EFC) organisation after formally breaking ties with the controversial European Super League project, the LaLiga club said on Friday.
Barcelona officially withdrew from the European Super League project last week before submitting its application for re-admission to the EFC, formerly known as the European Club Association, until the body was rebranded in October.
The EFC, which represents over 800 clubs across Europe, shapes key decisions on competitions, match calendars, financial frameworks, transfer regulations and commercial policy.
Barcelona said EFC chairman and Paris St Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi personally presented Barcelona’s membership application to the board.
“EFC has expressed its satisfaction and honour in welcoming FC Barcelona back as an Ordinary Member and has conveyed its willingness to work closely with the club to define the next steps and to specify its involvement within the organisation in this new stage,” the club said.
“FC Barcelona views this decision very positively and reaffirms its commitment to working together with fellow European clubs for the benefit of football, its competitions and its supporters.”
Barcelona’s withdrawal from the Super League left Real Madrid as the sole remaining advocate for the breakaway competition.
However, Real reached an agreement with the European soccer body UEFA earlier this week to put their bitter legal feud to bed.
-Reuters
The Confederation of African Football (CAF is set to review its disciplinary code following the incidents that attended the final match of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and the backlash that attended the decisions of the disciplinary committee.
CAF president Dr Patrice Motsepe, in a statement released this weekend, has restated the continental body’s firm commitment to safeguarding the integrity, reputation and global competitiveness of African football, following the controversial incidents that marred the Final of the Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025.
Motsepe described the scenes at the AFCON final as “unacceptable,” admitting he was “extremely disappointed” by events that detracted from Africa’s flagship football competition. While acknowledging the rulings announced on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, by the CAF Disciplinary Board, the CAF president stressed that he respects the independence of CAF’s judicial structures and will fully comply with their decisions.
“I am absolutely determined, and the CAF Executive Committee (EXCO), as well as the Presidents of our 54 Member Associations, are also determined, to maintain and advance the integrity, reputation and global competitiveness of African football and CAF competitions,” Motsepe said.
In response to the fallout from the AFCON final, Motsepe confirmed that he has convened a meeting of the CAF Executive Committee, which is the highest decision-making body in CAF outside the Annual Ordinary General Assembly.
The meeting is to conduct a comprehensive review of CAF regulations, including the CAF Disciplinary Code. The aim, he explained, is to ensure that CAF’s judicial bodies are adequately empowered to impose “appropriate and dissuasive sanctions” for serious breaches of CAF statutes, regulations and conduct that damages the image of African football.
Beyond disciplinary reforms, Motsepe highlighted ongoing efforts to strengthen officiating standards across the continent. He noted that CAF has made “significant improvements” in recent years in the quality, independence and professionalism of African referees, VAR operators and match commissioners, adding that further investments, both financial and technical, will be made to elevate them to the highest global standards.
“One of the first changes I introduced as CAF President was to ensure that the CAF Referees Committee is independent and impartial, with members proposed by our 54 Member Associations and drawn from the most qualified and respected referees in Africa,” he said.
Motsepe emphasised that African match officials must not only be competent but also be widely perceived as fair, impartial and world-class.
Expressing optimism about the future, the CAF president concluded that with the new reforms and enhanced measures, African football will continue to grow in stature and credibility on the global stage.
“I am confident that African football and CAF competitions will continue to be respected, admired and counted among the best in the world,” he said.
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Governing Bodies
CAS grants stay on FIFA ban for seven naturalised footballers, Malaysian association says
Seven naturalised players in Malaysia’s national football team have obtained a reprieve from the Court of Arbitration for Sport, halting their 12-month suspension from all football-related activities, the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) said on Tuesday.
FIFA suspended the seven naturalised players for 12 months and fined FAM 350,000 Swiss francs ($439,257) in September last year after finding that doctored documentation had been used to allow the players to participate in an Asian Cup qualifier against Vietnam.
FAM then took the case to CAS after FIFA dismissed its appeal. FIFA said it would launch a formal probe into the association’s internal operations and would notify authorities in five countries of potential criminal proceedings.
The players who were granted the reprieve were Facundo Garcés, Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca, João Figueiredo, Gabriel Palmero, Jon Irazabal and Héctor Hevel.
“This decision means that the 12-month suspension from all football activities imposed by FIFA on the seven players is temporarily suspended, and they are allowed to continue their careers and participate in any football-related activities until a final decision on the appeal at CAS is made,” FAM said on its Facebook account.
Following the document forgery scandal, FIFA overturned the results of three matches involving Malaysia after ruling that they had fielded these ineligible players.
The scandal drew criticism in Malaysia, with fans and several lawmakers calling for action to be taken against FAM as well as the government agencies responsible for granting citizenship to the players.
Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had vowed transparency in domestic investigations into the alleged forgery, but stressed that FAM should be allowed to defend itself.
-Reuters
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Pressure Mounts on CAF General Secretary as Exco Member Questions Mandate
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