FIFA hands CAF President Ahmad five-year ban
By Emmanuel Awosika
FIFA has banned Confederation of African Football (CAF) President, Ahmad Ahmad, for five years as punishment for breaching its organizational code of ethics.
Ahmad, 60, is said to have contravened several ethical rules concerning duty of loyalty, financial mismanagement, abuse of position, and offering and accepting of gifts.
A statement from FIFA on the issue reads: “The investigation into Mr Ahmad’s conduct … from 2017 to 2019 concerned various CAF-related governance issues, including the organisation and financing of an Umrah pilgrimage to Mecca, his involvement in CAF’S dealing with the sports equipment company Tactical Steel and other activities.”
Ahmad, who is a Vice-President of FIFA, has also received a $200,000 fine, although he has continued to declare his innocence.
He has the option of appealing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) if he has enough grounds for the decision.
The new development puts Ahmad’s bid to contest for a second term as CAF President in the March 2021 elections in jeopardy.
Ahmad, elected in 2017, had announced his intention to contest for the position, but will now have to pass an eligibility test to resume his role on the FIFA council.
He will also need to get his appeal heard early enough to allow him get confirmation as a candidate in the election.
Ahmad has recently left CAF’s first vice-president Constant Selemani Omari to run the organisation as he recovers from a Covid-19 infection.
