March 9 – While the race for the CAF presidency pretty much over with three of the candidates challenging for the position having agreed deals to pull out in favour of South Africa’s Patrice Motsepe, the jostling for position on CAF’s executive committee and the FIFA Council is taking centre stage.
But with three days to go before the ballot it isn’t clear who will be allowed to stand, with three candidates still awaiting the results of appeals at the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS).
For the FIFA Council, the FIFA review committee cleared 13 to stand for election in January but ruled out current CAF interim president Constant Omari (pictured) from DR Congon (for reasons of an on-going FIFA Ethics investigation) and Algeria’s Khireddine Zetchi (for failure to disclose previous sanctions).
Both candidates are understood to have been slow to show support for FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s African agenda. Both appealed to CAS to have their exclusion from the election overturned.
CAS has said that Omari’s hearing (he didn’t apply for an expedited procedure) has still to be heard, effectively ruling him out of standing in the election on Friday. CAS however did overturn the decision on Zetchi, allowing him to take his place in the election, making him candidate 14. CAF has a vice president and six seats on the council, one of whom must be held by a woman.
CAS has also still to rule on whether Cameroon’s Seidou Mbombo Njoya and Guinea’s Mamadou Antonio Souaré can stand in the election for a seat on CAF’s executive committee.
CAS said that: “An expedited procedure is in progress and a final decision will be rendered by 11 March 2021, at the latest.”
CAF elections will be held in Rabat, Morocco, March 12.
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