Fifa plan to take over running of African football set for court challenge

Fifa’ s plan to take over the runn ing of African football is set to be faced with a legal challenge.

Hasan Bility, the Liberia Football Association president and C af executive committee member, has said he will ask t he Court of Arbitration for S port to have the agreement between Caf and Fifa decla red “null and void with immediate effect”.

Bility said he also wants to ask the court to compel Caf to start a forensic audit of its finances, which he said the executive commi ttee had previously agreed to, but Caf president Ahmad Ahmad then stalled.

Caf is in crisis following corruption allegations against Ahmad which he has denied.

Ahmad was reported in March to Fifa’s ethics committee for alleged corruption and harassment by Caf general secretary Amr Fahmy, who was then fired after making the allegations.

Ahmad was detained in June by Fr ench police in Paris, where he was questioned over a spo rtswear deal between Caf and a French company in which the African body is said to have paid exorbitant prices for equipment it could have got much cheaper directly from the manufacturers.

In a statement released to the media on yesterday, Bility said Ahmad must resign and the proposed Fifa takeover be cancelled.

“In an attempt to salvage Caf from imminent implosion and irreversible reputational damage, Fifa proposed a poorly conceptualised and worse executed agreement,” Bility said.

“Logi cally, and in a sane world, the acquiescence by the Caf leadership that they have been unable to manage their own affairs ought to have been followed by quick resignation of its top leaders.

“It i s clear to me and many other s that the agreement as currently structured has the sole purpose of shielding and cleansing Caf president Ahmad from the c rimes he has committed – financial impropriety, sexual harassment and nepotism.”

Fifa has confirmed there is an ethics investigation into Ahmad, although he has yet to be sanctioned. Ahmad has not respon d to the allegations made against him.

Bili ty also claimed Fifa Presiden t Gianni Infantino has seized on the opportunity to get rid of his secretary general.

Infantino claimed last week that the unprecedented move to step in and administer African football would “significantly improve” the sport in the continent.