By Andrew Warshaw
February 5 – FIFA’s strict (some might argue over-the-top) directive to its member federations not to break any rules during the current lobbying campaign for the 2026 World Cup has led to understandable irritation at the head of African football’s leadership.
With the FifaGate corruption scandal far from resolved and a Swiss probe surrounding the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 tournaments to Russia and Qatar still ongoing, FIFA are keen to make sure the 2026 process – being contested by the three-nation USA-Canada-Mexico bid on the one hand and Morocco on the other – is entirely clean.
Last week, in a letter titled Guidance on the Bid Rules of Conduct for the process to select the host(s) of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, FIFA secretary general Fatma Samoura wrote to stakeholders urging them to “refrain from publicly making any written or oral statements of any kind, whether adverse or otherwise, about the bidders in relation to their bids.”
That has not gone down well with the Confederation of African Football (CAF) which is understandably keen to publicly endorse underdogs Morocco but are partially hamstrung.
Speaking after CAF’s General Assembly in Casablanca last Friday, the confederation’s president Ahmad Ahmad could only say so much, especially with FIFA president Gianni Infantino in attendance .
“May the best bid win – Africa is the best,” said Ahmad in reference to his backing for Morocco which is up against the tri-nation bid from USA, Mexico and Canada to host football’s showpiece event.
Choosing his words carefully, he added: “I won’t be neutral, I can tell you what I want – when others are asked I will let them reply as they wish. I will act within the regulations and with the advice of my legal counsellor.”
The entire FIFA Congress will vote on June 13 in Moscow and Infantino, when he arrived in Casablanca, urged African delegates to “do everything possible to make the process as healthy as possible. It is about our credibility.”
But that drew a prickly response from Ahmad. “We live in an era of democracy,” he told delegates. “I have my position, the executive committee supports me in my position, but it is up to you to decide. I am not allowed to vote on June 13, so I am free to express my position.”
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