FIFA’s pronouncement of a five-year ban from all football related activity on the President of CAF, Africa’s football governing body, Ahmad Ahmad did not come to many as a surprise, but rather left millions of football loving Africans wondering to what extent the beautiful game has been betrayed, battered and looted by those entrusted to develop football in the continent.
When Ahmad Ahmad took over the presidency of CAF in March 2017, he pledged to develop the game of football on the continent and reform the scandal-tainted organisation. He also promised to introduce a new code of ethics and extend ethics checks on African football officials. His vision was seen to be consistent and attractive to that of newly elected FIFA president, Gianni Infantino, who was on a mission to salvage the reputation of the football governing body.
Unfortunately, two years later Ahmad became a subject of a FIFA ethics investigation after his former Secretary-General Amr Fahmy made various allegations to football’s world governing body against the Malagasy which led to his ban for five years from all football related activity on November 23, 2020 following the report of the independent Ethics Committee which found him guilty of corruption and abuse of office. A ban which came four months before the expiration of his tenure in March 2021.
The latest ban which is also the biggest for the African continent is one out of many imposed by Infantino’s led FIFA on CAF officials found guilty of various extra-curricula activities.
In 2016, FIFA banned Bootun Balkrishna from Mauritania for four years from all football related activity for match manipulation incident. In that same year, three former officials of the South African Football Association, Leslie Sedibe, a former SAFA chief executive, was banned for five years by Fifa’s ethics committee. Steve Goddard and Adeel Carelse, both former heads of the SAFA’s refereeing department, were each banned for two years. The cases were linked to that of the former SAFA executive member and head of referees Lindile Kika, who was banned for six years by Fifa in October of the previous year.
In 2017, Ghanaian referee Joseph Odartei Lamptey was banned for life by FIFA after being found guilty of influencing the result of a World Cup qualifying match.
In 2018, Ghanaian undercover journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas released a documentary showing African officials allegedly engaging in acts of corruption.
The documentary prompted the Ghanaian government to dissolve the country’s FA and forced its football chief Kwesi Nyantakyi to resign from the top positions he held with FIFA as a council member and CAF as a Vice President.
Assistant referee David Laryea was banned for life while six other Ghanaian referees and assistant referees as well as a CAF technical instructor, Wellington Joseph were banned for 10 years for corruption. Fourteen other referees and assistants from Benin, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Senegal, Congo, Madagascar, Ghana and Liberia, including Hamada Nampiandraza, who was a referee at the 2013 African Cup of Nations were also provisionally suspended following a meeting of CAF’s disciplinary board.
Adel Range Marwa, a Kenyan World Cup-bound referee who was filmed accepting a cash gift, was banned for life and removed by Fifa from its list of officials for Russia 2018 while Nigeria’s chief coach Salisu Yusuf was another victim of Anas’s investigations, as he was caught on camera accepting cash from undercover journalists posing as football agents who wanted him to select two players for the 2018 African Nations Championship (CHAN).
Match-fixing, sexual misconduct, bribery, financial misappropriation, deal-swapping, votes buying, unilateral decisions by FA, unsporting bargaining, match manipulation, league mismanagement and many other underhand dealings and corrupt practices from member countries to the confederation have perpetually kept African football undeveloped, unattractive and untrusted.
Its been a-free-for-all corruption in CAF the last three years, it is now time for FIFA to redeem the image of football in the continent. The FIFA General Delegate for Africa led by General Secretary Fatma Samoura must see to it that their task of improving the professionalism of the organisation and supporting growth and development of football in all African countries is comprehensive and the forensic audit of CAF should be extended to various national FAs.
This is the time to win back the trust of football fans and reform CAF, which has become a symbol of corruption following years of scandals. National governments must collaborate with FIFA to liberate the beautiful game of football from corrupted individuals who have tainted the objective and role football plays in national and continental development
By Bassey Ibiatisuho
