The executive Committee of CAF met in Accra, Ghana on Saturday, 23rd September, 2017 to consider far reaching decisions on the fate of African football in its entirety.
With a large representation of members, the Ahmad led committee was able to take effective and far reaching decisions with which to determine the immediate courses of action that affected, for example, the hosting of the CHAN event.
Also considered was issues affecting women and youth football. The occasion of the assembly also afforded CAF President the opportunity to show his skills at diplomacy through football.
The meeting which commenced from 9:25 am to 17:25 local time showed the Committee deliberated on some 20 items on the agenda with highlights below;
Total African Nations Championship (CHAN) 2018
With an overwhelming majority of the members present, it was decided to withdraw the hosting rights of the competition from Kenya in the light of accumulated delays from reports of the various inspection missions conducted in the country, the last of which took place from 11 to 17 September 2017.
The CAF Acting General Secretary has been instructed to immediately open a bidding process for a new host. The deadline for receipt of applications is seven days from Sunday, 24 September 2017. The identity of the bidding countries will be disclosed within a maximum 15 days of the opening of the bidding process.
Total Africa Cup of Nations Cameroon 2019
A meeting of the Organising Committee will be convened as soon as possible to elaborate the terms of reference for the call for tenders to be opened for the selection of an audit firm to carry out an inspection mission of infrastructure to host the tournament.
Total Women’s Africa Cup of Nations Ghana 2018
The format and schedule of the qualifiers were approved, and the draw also conducted. A first inspection mission is to be conducted in Ghana by the end of 2017.
In the absence of applications submitted on time, it was decided by the Executive Committee to re-open the bidding process for the 2020 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.
Total U-23 Africa Cup of Nations 2019
Following the withdrawal of Zambia as the host country for the tournament, a new call for applications was opened from 26 July to 31 August 2017.
Egypt has been designated as the host country because it was the only country that provided a complete dossier on time.
Interclub Competitions
The Executive Committee decided to postpone the considerations for the transition of the Interclub competitions from February – November to August – May.
The matter will be examined by the Interclub Committee, which is now fully constituted, before forwarding their recommendations to the Executive Committee.
FIFA World Cup
The Executive Committee welcomed Morocco’s candidature and is proud that an African country has applied for the hosting of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the first to be played with 48 teams.
Symposium on women’s football
An organizing committee, to work on the success of the event planned in Morocco in the first quarter of 2018, was set up and composed as follows:
1- Isha Johansen (Sierra Leone)
2- Lydia Nsekera (Burundi)
3- Nawal El Moutawakel (Morocco)
4- Meskerem Tadesse (Ethiopia)
5- Patricia Rajearison (Madagascar)
6- Alhaja Ayo Omidiran (Nigeria)
Ahmad’s Diplomacy
On Monday, 25 September 2017, Mr. Ahmad visited the offices of Mr. Aliko Dangote, the richest man in Africa and Nigerian businessman in Lagos, the economic capital of Nigeria. The CAF President was accompanied by CAF 2nd Vice-President, Constant Omari, and they were duly received by Mr. Dangote. Discussions at the meeting focused on the development of football in Africa, a sport for which Aliko Dangote is also passionate.
Two Ghanaian pupils were also gifted with a fully paid trip to visit Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF) headquarters in Cairo after CAF President Ahmad lauded their initiative to provide football kits for deprived children.
Brothers Kwabena Enti, 12, and Ekow Enti, 7, of the Ghana International School (GIS) in Accra, started a project last year to collect football kits from their colleagues and other schools, and has seen about 150 football shoes and jerseys donated to children from more than ten clubs in the Ghanaian capital, Accra.
The CAF President Ahmad had taken time to interact with the brothers at their school and lauded them for the great initiative.
He was touched by the action of the pupils, who despite their tender ages are using football for good causes and believes such initiatives should be encouraged and rewarded, thus announcing an all-expenses-paid trip for the two boys to visit the CAF headquarters of CAF in Cairo, Egypt, to familiarize themselves with the activities of the continent’s football governing body.
“From the bottom of my heart, I congratulate you for what you are doing for children your age alike who are unfortunately unable to afford jerseys and boots to play football,” Ahmad said at the gathering where the brothers were honoured.
“I am pleased to meet you and I’m very touched by what you are doing. This should come from elderly people, but for you to think of this great gesture – then I have to support it so we get this to a level where others can emulate,” he said.
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