It’s all systems go for the Confederation of African Football (CAF) presidential race after incumbent Ahmad Ahmad was cleared to vie for the president seat by the organization’s governance committee.
Eyes were on president Ahmad, whose administration has been marred by misappropriation claims, bringing the general suspicion that he may not be allowed to vie.
More recently, Ahmad was banned for five years and handed a $200,000 fine by FIFA in November for contravening the governing body’s code of ethics, before he was restored to the post after a ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Ahmad was danger of missing out on the polls after he was accused of disloyalty, offering and accepting gifts, abuse of office and misappropriation of funds.
However, the 61-year-old administrator denied the allegations and appealed the decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which has now ruled in his favour.
FIFA ruling had pushed Ahmad out of office in November before CAS made a ruling in January that partially dismissed the world football governing body from disallowing him from participating in the CAF elections.
Ahmad will now battle to defend his seat against South Africa’s billionaire Patrice Motsepe, Mauritania FA president Ahmed Yahya, Senegal FA boss Augustin Emmanuel Senghor and Ivorian Jacques Bernard Daniel Anouma at the 43rd Elective General Assembly on March 12 in Rabat, Morocco.
If opinion polls are anything to go by, the incumbent has some way to go to defend his seat, as Motsepe holds a slight edge over him as it stands.
