Guinea-Bissau FA Elections Postponed Again

The Guinea-Bissau Federation (FFGB) has postponed elections scheduled for 8 August until 7 November.

The decision came after world governing body FIFA wrote to the FFGB to advise on the delay due to constitutional abnormalities.

Last month, the outgoing FFGB’s Executive Committee member, Bacar Camara, claimed that FIFA’s electoral code had been violated with regard to the screening of both candidates and Electoral Committee members.

Camara had explained that the Electoral Committee had been divided into two separate groups where one advocated for suspended FFGB boss Manuel Nascimento Lopes to stand for re-election.

The elections were supposed to take place on Saturday at the port of Alto Bandim in Bissau.

In a letter dated 31 July, FIFA’s Chief Member Associations Officer, Veron Mosengo-Omba strongly advised the FFGB to seriously consider postponing the elections.

FIFA stated that it had studied the matter with the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and proposed that elections be postponed until Article 28 of the FFGB constitution is observed.

Five people are vying to win the presidential election that was originally scheduled for Saturday, July 25 but was stopped after the candidates appealed for the nullification of Nascimento candidacy.

FIFA banned the controversial football administrator from football-related activities for 10 years over an incident of mob justice.

The verdict was announced 24 hours before scheduled FFGB elective congress. Nascimento was elected in 2012 and was due to stand for a third four-year term.

Manuel has since declared himself innocent of wrongdoing and has decided to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.