FIFA hands African soccer chief Ahmad Ahmad five-year ban for corruption
Ahmad Ahmad's reign as the head of African soccer looked to be above on Monday just after FIFA hit him with a five-12 months suspension for corruption.
Ahmad, from Madagascar, has been president of the Confederation of African Soccer (CAF) since March 2017 but his declared bid for re-election in 2021 is currently in doubt after FIFA banned him for "governance issues".
Within their statement, FIFA said Ahmad had "breached his duty of loyalty, offered gifts and other benefits, mismanaged funds and abused his position as the CAF President".
Ahmad was also fined 200,000 Swiss francs ($220,000) by FIFA for the misdeeds, which linked to "the organisation and financing of a great Umrah pilgrimage to Mecca" and his involvement found in CAF's dealings with a sports equipment company.
The 60-year-old, who the other day stood down from his post for 20 times after testing positive for coronavirus, can appeal the ban "from all football-related activity" at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Ahmad, who was made a FIFA vice-president after appearing elected the top of CAF, had denied the accusations.
In response to his ban, CAF announced on Monday that Regular Omari's position as interim head of the body would be expanded, without specifying for how prolonged.
CAF said in a statement that the decision was made following FIFA's ruling, "which puts Mr. Ahmad Ahmad ready of no longer having the ability to exercise his responsibilities".
Congolese established Omari became Ahmad's number 2 in July 2019 following a sacking of Amaju Pinnick, also brain of the Nigerian Soccer Federation.
Omari is president of the Congolese Football Federation and an associate of the FIFA Council.
- CAF scandals -
In April 2019, Ahmad was accused of some offences by former CAF official Amr Fahmy, who informed FIFA in a letter that Ahmad had paid out bribes to directors, manufactured personal use of CAF funds and sexually harassed a number of employees.
Two months later on he was arrested in Paris while at the FIFA Congress before that year's women's World Cup as part of a probe into corruption, but premiered a day later at no cost.
Ahmad's bid to stay head of CAF had been challenged by Augustin Senghor, the president of the Senegalese Soccer Federation.
Mauritania's Ahmed Yahya, Ivory Coast's Jacques Anouma and South African billionaire Patrice Motsepe have also thrown their hats found in the ring.
Last month, former CAF senior vice-president Kwesi Nyantakyi had his lifetime ban from football for breaking FIFA bribery and corruption rules reduced to 15 years.
Nyantakyi quit his positions as Ahmad's number 2 and president of Ghana's football association two years ago after getting secretly filmed accepting a $65,000 bribe from journalists posing just as businessmen who wished to spend money on Ghanaian football.
The official also agreed to a fictional sponsorship offer created by the reporters, that they told Nyantakyi would have funnelled huge amount of money created for Ghanaian football to a company he runs.
