Governing Bodies
COTE D’IVOIRE’S ANOUMA PICKS CAF PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION FORM
Cote d’Ivoire’s Jacques Anouma has thrown his hat into the ring to run for the Confederation of African Football (CAF) presidency next March – seven years after his first attempt.
He is the second candidate after incumbent, Ahmad to pick nomination. He is also endorsed by the Ivorian football federation.
Anouma, 68, is the second person to be publicly announced for the role ahead of Thursday’s deadline, with reigning CAF President Ahmad having done so late last month.
FIFA Council member, Tarek Bouchamaoui of Tunisia and his compatriot, Wadie Jary the current head of Tunisia Football Federation declared their intention but are yet to pick nomination forms. Entry for the race closes on Thursday.
Cote d’ivoire Football Federation (FIF) announced its support for Anouma, a former member of FIFA executive board, on Saturday evening.
“FIF has decided to give its backing to Mr Jacques Anouma for the CAF presidential election of March 2021,” the body said in a statement.
“FIF wishes Mr Anouma full success in this election.”
Candidates wishing to contest March’s election in Morocco must be nominated by their federation by Thursday, when two-month registration period comes to a close.
Anouma is an honorary president of the Ivorian federation, which he ran between 2002 and 2011, and was a member of FIFA’s Executive Committee, now the FIFA Council, between 2007 and 2015.
This is the second time he has declared his presidential ambitions, with his previous bid having ended before it began.
Anouma’s intentions were thwarted after Caf changed it statutes six months before the March 2013 elections, so effectively barring the Ivorian – who called the decision “scandalous” – from running.
At the time, Anouma’s presence as one of Africa’s representatives on the Fifa executive committee made him sit on Caf’s Executive Committee as a non-voting member.
In September 2012, Caf’s congress adopted a new statute which meant only voting members of its Executive Committee could contest presidential elections.
Anouma, who blamed the statute change on “all kinds of manoeuvres” by then Caf president Issa Hayatou, appealed the ruling at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, only for the legal body to uphold Caf’s decision just days before the 2013 election took place.
That rule has since changed, whereby not only executive committee members but any African administrators who can show they have worked in football for the past five years can run for the job.
Although Ahmad has formally submitted his candidacy, Sports Village Square understands that the Malagasy is facing a possible ban from football which could rule him out of March’s elections.
The 60-year-old, who has previously strenuously denied any wrongdoing, is believed to have breached various codes of FIFA’s Ethics, with a public verdict expected later this month.
The president of the Confédération of African Football, Dr. Patrice Motsepe, has announced five new CAF Vice Presidents. They are:
- CAF First Vice President: Mr Fouzi Lekjaa (Morocco)
- CAF Second Vice President: Mr Kurt Okraku (Ghana)
- CAF Third Vice President: Mr Pierre-Alain Mounguengui (Gabon)
- CAF Fourth Vice President: Ms Bestine Kazadi Ditabala (Democratic Republic of Congo)
- CAF Fifth Vice President: Mr Feizal Sidat (Mozambique)
In addition, the CAF President has co-opted Yacine Idriss Diallo, President of Fédération Ivoirienne de football, into the CAF Executive Committee.
The CAF Executive Committee also approved the names to fill vacant positions on several CAF Committees.
Organising Committee for the African Nations Championship (CHAN)
- President: Pierre-Alain Mounguengui (Gabon)
CAF Technical and Development Committee
- President: Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon)
- Vice President: Malouche Belhassen (Tunisia)
CAF Medical Committee:
- President: Dr. Mohammed Bouya (Mauritania)
- Vice President: Dr. Thulani Ngwenya (South Africa)
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Governing Bodies
Nigeria becoming an epicentre of global badminton as Francis Orbih enters the Badminton World Federation Council
Laurels on the courts and now glory in the boardroom sums up the mark that badminton is making in Nigeria.
The President, Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN), Francis Orbih, has been elected as a council member of the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
The election took place during the BWF Annual General Meeting on Saturday in Xiamen, China.
Orbih emerged victorious over top contenders from other African countries.
He will join Cameroon’s Odette Assembe Engoulou on the council, while Chipo Zumburani (Zimbabwe) and Hadia ElSaid (Egypt) missed out.
An elated Orbih expressed his gratitude to fellow badminton presidents across the globe for their trust and support.
He said, “I am deeply honoured by the trust placed in me by my peers across the badminton world.
“I look forward to quality representation, driving development initiatives, and strengthening badminton’s global reach over the next four years.”
Orbih also acknowledged the support of the Federal Government of Nigeria, particularly the National Sports Commission (NSC), which he said played a significant role in his successful bid.
“The Chairman and the Director General of the NSC monitored the entire process. I’m grateful for their involvement and confident Nigeria will benefit from this,” he stated.
He further appreciated the BFN board members and the Nigerian badminton community for their prayers and continued belief in his leadership.
“From the day I declared my intentions, the board members of BFN have been supportive, and I promise not to disappoint them,” Orbih concluded.
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A former member of the FIFA Council, Mamoutou Toure, has been released from jail in Mali after almost two years in detention for alleged corruption, Malian media reports said on Wednesday.
Toure, president of the Malian Football Federation since 2019, was released after 622 days in prison on Tuesday.
He served on the FIFA Council, world football’s all-powerful decision-making body, for four years until last month when he lost his seat after failing to contest new elections.
The 67-year-old was arrested in August 2023 on allegations of embezzling $28 million of public funds but was granted a provisional release order by the Malian courts, reports said.
He was accused of misconduct during his time as the National Assembly’s financial and administrative director from 2013-2019.
Toure denied all charges and, during his time in jail, was last August re-elected as Malian Football Federation president for a second consecutive term, with his supporters claiming he was a victim of a conspiracy fuelled by detractors.
While in jail, he received a letter of support from FIFA president Gianni Infantino. However, as of last month, Toure is no longer a member of the FIFA Council or the Confederation of African Football’s executive committee.
-Reuters
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