Cameroon’s Modeste M’Bami dies of heart attack, aged 40
January 9 – Former Cameroon and Paris St Germain midfielder Modeste M’Bami has died aged just 40 after suffering a heart attack.
Africa
Cameroon U17 squad shredded after 21 players fail age screening tests
January 5 – Cameroon football has again been rocked by an age fraud scandal with 21 out of 30 Under-17 national team players disqualified after failing MRI tests ordered by the country’s FA (Fecafoot) chief Samuel Eto’o.
Cape Verde is first to heed FIFA call and name national stadium after Pele
January 4 – Africa’s Cape Verde has become the first FIFA member nation to heed president Gianni Infantino’s call to rename a stadium in every country in the world after Pele.
Tunisia keep faith in Kadri for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations
January 3 – Tunisia have extended the contract of coach Jalel Kadri (pictured) for a year despite the Carthage Eagles’ group-stage exit from the World Cup in Qatar.
Motsepe short on Super League detail but says an African team will make 2026 final
December 22 – African football boss Patrice Motsepe has once again failed to provide a credible update on his confederation’s plans to launch a Super League in 2023, this time suggesting too many clubs have expressed an interest in the competition.
Motsepe says Lagardere deal settled but fails to give comfort on CAF’s financial future
December 21 – Confederation of African Football (CAF) president Patrice Motsepe has said that the dispute with the confederation’s commercial rights agency Lagardere, which has left a huge hole in the finances of the confederation, has been settled in an “amicable” way.
Former Nigeria boss Pinnick says CAF finances are a worry, but Africa is building
By Samindra Kunti in Doha
December 21 – Nigerian football official Amaju Pinnick (pictured) has claimed that the finances of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) are “a big mess”.
French journalist promises to sue Cameroon FA for defamation
December 14 – The Cameroon Football Association (Fecafoot) is facing a lawsuit from a French investigative journalist after the federation published a statement accusing him of attempted blackmail and extortion.
Motsepe and CAF tow the company line on Infantino’s ‘shut-up-and-play’ message
November 10 – Unsurprisingly, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) have pulled their weight behind Gianni Infantino’s highly controversial ‘shut-up-and-play’ message to the 32 World Cup finalists on the eve of the tournament.
CAF formally puts AFCON 2025 back out to tender after stripping Guinea of hosting
October 27 – The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has re-opened the bidding process for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations after recently stripping Guinea of the tournament hosting rights.
CAF unveils prize money for Women’s Champions League
October 20 – The winners of the 2022 African Women’s Champions League will receive $400,000 in prize money, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has confirmed.
Nigerian chaos recedes as NFF election mandates Gusau to take over from Pinnick
October 4 – After months of internal wrangling, Ibrahim Musa Gusau has been elected president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), fending off challenges from former vice-presidents Seyi Akinwunmi and Shehu Dikko as well as former international goalkeeper Idah Peterside to emerge as successor to long-term incumbent Amaju Pinnick.
CAF strips Guinea of hosting rights to 2025 AFCON and goes back to market
October 3 – The Confederation of African Football is to re-open bidding for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) after stripping Guinea of hosting rights to host the competition, with Morocco among the nations set to apply.
Bomb threats and court orders force postponement of Nigerian FA elections
September 16 – Nigerian football has been plunged into a new crisis with the September 30 elections to replace the outgoing board, including embattled Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) president Amaju Pinnick, put on hold.
CAF draws groups for November hosting of Women’s Champions League in Morocco
September 12 – Defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns have been drawn with Nigeria’s Bayelsa Queens, Egypt’s Wadi Degla and the representative of the Central African Football Federations’ Union (UNIFFAC) in Group B of the African Women’s Champions League.