African football president under questioning over corruption allegations
Fifa has confirmed that the Confederation of African Football president, Ahmad Ahmad, is being questioned by French authorities investigating corruption allegations, following reports that he had been arrested at his hotel in Paris on Thursday morning. World football’s governing body also suggested its ethics committee has been investigating allegations made against Ahmad.
The news website jeuneafrique.com reported on Thursday morning that Ahmad had been escorted from the Berri Hotel by officials from France’s central office for combating corruption and financial and tax crimes (OCLCIFF).
Ahmad’s questioning follows widespread reporting in April that CAF’s secretary general, Amr Fahmy, had been sacked after he turned whistleblower and sent Fifa’s ethics committee a document listing allegations of financial irregularities and sexual harassment.
Ahmad, who had spent days in Paris before Wednesday’s Fifa congress battling the fallout from the allegations, which he has denied, responded by saying he would set up an internal governance process to deal with them. He and CAF are also embroiled in a crisis over the African Champions League final, which was abandoned and awarded to Tunis Espérance last week after their opponents, Wydad of Casablanca, walked off because the VAR system was not working. Tunis Espérance supporters who live in Paris held passionate demonstrations outside the Hyatt hotel where CAF ultimately decided on Wednesday that the final should be replayed.
Fifa re-elected its president, Gianni Infantino, unopposed, by “acclamation” – a round of applause – for another four years at the congress, where he promised “zero tolerance” of financial wrongdoing after the deluge of corruption scandals.
In its statement Fifa said: “Fifa has taken note of the alleged events concerning Mr Ahmad Ahmad, who is being questioned by the French authorities in relation to allegations related to his mandate while president of CAF. Fifa is unaware of the details surrounding this investigation and is therefore not in a position to make any comment on it specifically.
“Fifa is asking the French authorities for any information that might be relevant to the investigations taking place within its ethics committee. As a matter of due process everyone has the right to the presumption of innocence but, as the Fifa president reiterated yesterday, Fifa is fully committed to eradicating all forms of wrongdoing at any level in football. Anyone found to have committed illicit or illegal acts has no place in football.”