Fifa general secretary Fatma Samoura up for Africa position

Fifa and the Caf are contemplating assigning Fifa secretary general Fatma Samoura to the position of Fifa delegate for Africa.

The global and African football governing bodies took the decision following the recent governance challenges on the continent, which culminated in Caf president Ahmad Ahmad being arrested by French police recently.

Prior to Ahmad’s arrest, there was controversy surrounding the Caf Champions League final between Esperance and Wydad Casablanca, which was marred by a VAR storm.

In addition, there was confusion regarding the rescheduling the 2019, 2021 and 2023 Africa Cup of Nations finals.

The African supremo proposed to the Caf cxecutive committee in Cairo on Wednesday, July 19 that it should seek Fifa’s know-how on how to examine the existing state of affairs in the African governing body and execute the required reform process.

That should help Caf perform its duties with the necessary “transparency, efficiency while abiding to the highest governance standards.”

Ahmad’s proposal was accepted in unison by the executive committee.

Furthermore, in line with the development, Fifa and Caf are going to carry out a full forensic audit of the African football body.

Given the aforementioned, the following were agreed upon by Fifa and Caf:

Fifa secretary general Fatma Samoura to be appointed as  “Fifa general delegate for Africa” for a six-month period from 1 August 2019 to 31 January 2020, renewable with the agreement of both organisations.

Ms. Samoura will be assisted by a group of experts who will work in a spirit of partnership with President Ahmad and his team in several areas, which include amongst others:

- To oversee operational management of Caf, including governance and administrative procedures, - To ensure the efficient and professional organization of all Caf competitions;

- To support the growth and development of football in all countries and regions of Caf; During this period, Fatma Samoura will stay secretary general of Fifa and will delegate her functions within the Fifa administration in accordance with the relevant internal regulations.

Lastly, the unique and temporary measure has been approved by the bureau of the Fifa council.