Sports

CAF: Ahmad Cleared to Contest Presidential Election

Published

5 years ago

February 6, 2021

Eric

A new twist has been added to the upcoming CAF elections billed for March 12 as the recently restored president of the continent’s football governing body, Ahmad Ahmad, is reportedly back in the race for next month’s presidential polls.

The BBC reports that Mr Ahmad has been restored as a candidate for the March elections by CAF’s Governance Committee. The decision to re-admit Mr Ahmad as a candidate comes after his five-year ban from football by FIFA was temporarily suspended by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on January 29.

It, however, understood that despite Mr Ahmad’s clearance by CAF’s Governance Committee, which met on Friday, the Malagasy still needs FIFA to overturn its previous decision to rule him out of the elections if he is to make the ballot in March 12.

The quartet of Jacques Anouma (Cote d’Ivoire), Patrice Motsepe (South Africa), Augustin Senghor (Senegal), and Ahmed Yahya (Mauritania) have already been approved as candidates.

61-year-old Mr Ahmad could become the fifth participant in the elections if FIFA also clears him just like CAF.

The BBC reports that Mr Ahmad’s camp approached FIFA earlier this week to ask that the decision by the Review Committee to bar Ahmad from the elections, which was made before CAS lifted his ban, can be overturned.

Football’s world governing body, which was asked to have the final say on vetting candidates by CAF’s Emergency Committee, is yet to respond to the requests.

Mr Ahmad, who took charge of CAF in 2017, was banned by FIFA in November after being adjudged to have broken several ethics codes.

Last month, CAS – sport’s highest legal body – said that it was temporarily lifting Mr Ahmad’s FIFA ban “due to a risk of irreparable harm for Mr Ahmad if the disciplinary sanction is maintained during the period prior to the CAF elections”.

The Switzerland-based body says it will hear the appeal in full on 2 March, with a decision issued before the Caf presidential elections on 12 March.

There are reports suggesting the March 12 elections may out rightly be postponed to give room for all knotty issues to be sorted out before proceeding on for the polls.

Meanwhile, Mr Ahmad has since resumed his duties as CAF president.

Mr Ahmad is presently in Cameroon’s capital Yaounde, ahead of Sunday’s African Nations Championship (CHAN) final.

Sports

FIFA Lists Six Females Among 52 Referees for 2026 World Cup

Published

3 days ago

April 10, 2026

Eric

FIFA on Thursday unveiled its list of match officials for the June 11-July 19 World Cup, including 52 referees, six of whom are women.

Football’s governing body will also take 88 assistant referees and 30 video match officials, who hail from all six confederations and 50 member associations.

“The selected match officials are the very best in the world,” said Pierluigi Collina, FIFA’s chief refereeing officer.

“They were part of a wider pool of officials that was identified and monitored over the past three years. They have attended seminars and officiated at FIFA tournaments.

“In addition, their performances in domestic and international matches were regularly assessed.”

The World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico will be the biggest in history, with a 48-team line-up and 104 matches to be played.

There are 41 more match officials than at Qatar four years ago, where 32 teams played 64 matches.

“The fact that six women match officials have been selected continues a trend that was started four years ago in Qatar as we aim to further develop women’s refereeing,” Collina said, with six women having already refereed in 2022.

AFP

Sports

AFCON 2025: CAS Overturns CAF Verdict

Published

3 weeks ago

March 25, 2026

Eric

African football has been plunged into fresh uncertainty after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) provisionally suspended a controversial ruling that stripped Senegal of their Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title and awarded it to Morocco.

In an interim decision issued on Monday, CAS accepted Senegal’s appeal against the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Appeals Board and ordered a “freeze” on the implementation of its verdict.

The move effectively places the 2025 AFCON title in legal limbo pending a full hearing.

The dispute stems from a chaotic final played in January 2026, where the Teranga Lions of Senegal defeated the hosts, the Atlas Lions of Morocco, 1–0 after extra time. The match took a dramatic turn late on when a contentious penalty was awarded to Morocco.

Although the spot kick was missed, Senegal’s players briefly walked off the pitch in protest, prompting confusion before play eventually resumed, and the match was concluded. Weeks later, Morocco’s federation challenged the outcome, citing provisions within AFCON regulations relating to match forfeiture.

On March 17, CAF’s Appeals Board ruled in Morocco’s favour, declaring that Senegal’s walk-off constituted a breach severe enough to forfeit the match. The result was overturned to a 3–0 victory for Morocco, with Senegal stripped of the title.

Senegal swiftly condemned the decision as unjust and escalated the matter to CAS, arguing that the sanction was disproportionate and undermined the integrity of the on-field result.

CAS has now sided, at least temporarily, with Senegal’s request for urgent intervention.

By granting provisional measures, the tribunal signalled that enforcing CAF’s ruling before a full hearing could cause irreparable harm, particularly in a case involving the revocation of a major continental title.

The immediate consequence is that AFCON 2025 currently has no officially recognised champion. The trophy remains unassigned while legal proceedings continue.

Sports

AFCON 2025: George Weah Urges CAS to Overrule CAF’s Verdict

Published

3 weeks ago

March 21, 2026

Eric

African football legend George Weah has criticised the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for stripping Senegal of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title and awarding it to Morocco.

CAF’s Appeal Board overturned Senegal’s 1–0 victory in the Rabat final after ruling that the team’s walk-off during a late penalty incident constituted a forfeit. The result was subsequently recorded as a 3–0 win in favour of Morocco, crowning the hosts as champions.

Reacting to the decision, Weah, a former Ballon d’Or winner and three-time African Player of the Year, argued that match outcomes should be determined on the pitch, not in post-match rulings.

“In football, the referee on the pitch is the final authority. Once a match is completed, the result obtained on the field must stand,” he said.

Weah warned that overturning completed matches sets a dangerous precedent for the sport.

“There is no sporting justification to nullify a match completed under the referee’s authority.

Otherwise, we risk a slippery slope where committee decisions override on-field calls,” he added.

The former AC Milan forward further stated that the ruling undermines the integrity and credibility of African football, raising concerns over fairness and consistency.