Adedapo Adesanya
By Adedapo Adesanya
The world football governing body, the Federation of the International Football Association (FIFA), has cleared all four candidates to contest the presidential elections of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) scheduled for March 12, 2021.
The candidates are Augustin Senghor of Senegal, Jacques Anouma from Cote D’ivoire; Ahmad Ould Yahya from Mauritania, and Patrice Tlhopane Motsepe from South Africa.
Earlier this month, CAF had said that Motsepe and Yahya’s candidacy needed “further checks” before they could run.
CAF, however, then moved to say that FIFA would step in to determine the candidates’ eligibility because the CAF president automatically becomes a vice-president.
In a statement, CAF said, “The Governance Committee of CAF shall submit, to the FIFA Review Committee, which will perform the eligibility check of the candidatures received for the position of CAF president, considering that CAF President is ex officio FIFA vice-president.”
The previous CAF president, Mr Ahmad Ahmad, had already been deemed ineligible to run in the elections. He has been banned for five years by FIFA from all football-related activity for financial misconduct. The Malagasy is appealing his ban at the Court of Arbitration of Sports (CAS).
The CAF elections will be held in March in the Moroccan capital of Rabat.
Nigeria has reportedly opted to throw her weight behind South African Patrice Motsepe to become the next president of the regional body.
According to stakeholders, after the scandal-ridden regime of the former president, the new man at the helm must have the “moral integrity” to commit the development of football on the continent.
