Governing Bodies
Ghana’s Kurt Okraku named new WAFU B President
Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku has been named as the new President of the Union of West Africa Football Union (WAFU) Zone B.
The Ghana Football Association (GFA) boss was unanimously approved as the new leader of the regional body by the all seven member associations during the Wafu B 14th General Assembly in Accra on Saturday.
The 49-year-old takes charge following the decision of the incumbent Djibrilla Hima Hamidou to step down from the position, one year before the end of his mandate.
The President of the Niger Football Federation stood down from the leadership position during Saturday’s event, paving the way for Okraku to continue the remaining term of office which expires in 2022.
The Ghanaian stood unchallenged as all the seven countries in the zone approved him as their new leader before elections are held next year.
Present at the meeting was Ghana’s Sports Minister Mustapha Ussif, CAF General Secretary Veron Mosengo-Omba, CAF Presidential Advisor Jacques Anouma as well as FIFA Council Members Melvin Amaju Pinnick and Mathurin de Charcus and other federation heads.
Okraku hailed members of the zonal body for unanimously approving him as their new leader insisting he will work with his colleagues to ensure the continuous success of the region.
“I am humbled by your decision to approve me as your leader for this very important zonal body in African football, that has produced most of the champions for African football,” Okraku said during his address to delegates on Saturday.
“I want to thank all of you for your support and to my elder brother Djibrilla Hima Hamidou for laying the good foundation for us to continue to build on and to bring more successes for Wafu B in the near future.
“I want to assure you that I am going to work with all of you, to count on you and to count on your immense experiences to continue to grow the game in our region that is gifted with some of the world’s best players.”
Hamidou, who is a member of the CAF Executive Committee, said he was stepping down to concentrate on his duties with the African football governing body as there are capable people to steer the affairs of Wafu B.
“We have got a lot of leaders in this region capable of leading WAFU B and I made the decision to step down to give the others the chance to help in the further developments of our zonal body,” the Niger Football Federation President told delegates on Saturday.
“In Kurt we have got a highly competent young man who has shown the good desire to contribute his quota to the progress of WAFU B and he has the support of all of us to move the zone in the right direction.
“As I ascend to the CAF Executive Committee, I will support our new President – President Kurt in various ways and I will also help by supporting our region and the entire African football fraternity in putting forward the right policies to help the game grow in Africa.”
The meeting was graced by Federation/Association Presidents and General Secretaries from Cote d’Ivoire, Benin, Togo, Niger, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, and host Ghana.
Hamidou was elected by acclamation during the General Assembly of the zone held on Friday, 14 September 2018 in Niamey.
Okraku was elected as the President of the Ghana Football Association two years ago.
The famous former sports journalist holds an MBA in Football Management from Liverpool University in the United Kingdom.
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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