February 19 – Confederation of African Football (CAF) executive committee member Samir Sobha has said that General Secretary Veron Mosengo-Omba is in his post “illegally”.
In an interview with The Guardian, Mauritian Football Association President Sabha said that he would not accept Mosengo-Omba’s presence at CAF meetings moving forward because the 66-year-old Swiss-Congolese lawyer no longer held the position legitimately.
“As per the statutes, he is occupying the seat illegally right now,” Sobha explained. “I don’t think that the SG [General Secretary] is in any legal position to make decisions, to sign a document … I’m pleading with the president to rectify this position … We need to respect the statutes … When it comes to this issue, I think that it is clear.
“This decision [that Mosengo-Omba must vacate his position] needs to be taken, to make sure that we can get, very soon, a full-fledged and legitimate general secretary. Right now, most FA presidents in Africa agree that Mr Mosengo is out of mandate.”
Under Regulation 130 of the CAF Employment Handbook, 63 is the compulsory retirement age, although the regulation states that the president or general secretary may extend the employee’s employment for a maximum of three years.
Mosengo-Omba became CAF general secretary in 2021 when he was 61. Born on the 15th of October 1959, he turned 66 last October. Even under the extension, Mosengo-Omba can no longer serve as general secretary of CAF.
At a recent press conference in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, CAF boss Patrice Motsepe failed to offer any clarity over the issue. He said: “The retirement is governed by our rules and regulations. We deal with those things not just in accordance with legality but governance. As CAF, we will take the best decision concerning employees.
“In many companies – when you reach retirement age – the leadership can extend it on a year-on-year basis or they can decide to find someone body else. We will deal with that in accordance with governance – global best practices.”
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