The International body vested with the responsibility of settling disputes related to Sports through Arbitration, The Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS), has all but ended the attempt at re-election of CAF President, Ahmad Ahmad.
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.
The 61-year-old Malagasy, however, appealed FIFA’s decision at CAS, which issued a preliminary ruling in January 2021, reinstating him as President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), albeit on a temporary basis.
In the absence of Ahmad, Mr. Constant Selemani Omari had 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.
The Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) has reduced Ahmad Ahmad’s FIFA ban from five years to two years following his appeal on Monday.
The CAF President has also be fined 50 000 Swiss francs
