By Andrew Warshaw
April 11 – The second most powerful official in African football was sensationally sacked from his post today, seemingly paying the price for corruption allegations swirling around his boss, under-fire Confederation of African Football supremo Ahmad Ahmad.
Insideworldfootball has learned that CAF general secretary Amr Fahmy was personally fired by Ahmad at the opening of a tense CAF executive meeting in Cairo, bringing to an end a longstanding football dynasty.
Both Fahmy’s father and grandfather were also CAF general secretaries but instead of falling on his own sword in the wake of growing and serious allegations of impropriety against him, Ahmad has got rid of his Egyptian number two and, according to insiders, has immediately replaced him with Moroccan official Hajji Mouad rather than with a fellow executive committee member.
Mouad has been CAF’s general administrator since January this year, serving as the link between Ahmad and Fahmy, but has now been unilaterally promoted to general secretary.
It is understood that Ahmad cited irreconcilable differences with Fahmy who, ironically, he personally appointed in November 2017, following the overthrow of former long-time CAF leader Issa Hayatou.
Insiders who attended today’s Cairo meeting indicated Ahmad blamed Fahmy for the leaks of confidential documents that have heaped suspicion on the nebulous activities of the president.
Insideworldfootball has been told that at least three prominent CAF exco members warned Ahmad not to take such drastic action and to handle the situation delicately for fear of further fuelling the flames of division within African football as well as its worldwide reputation.
But they were apparently ignored. At the start of the meeting Ahmad asked staff, including Fahmy who would normally have led proceedings, to leave the room and for the recording of the meeting to be stopped. Ahmad then took full control of the session’s long agenda himself.
Mouad is a close associate of Moroccan FA president Faouzi Lekjaa who also happens to be CAF’s third vice-president, strengthening what has been a shift of power within CAF to the country and in favour of those loyal to Ahmad despite his increasingly despot tendencies.
It is unclear at this point if any of the multiple corruption, financial mismanagement and sexual harassment allegations against Ahmad were discussed at the meeting.
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