By Andrew Warshaw
January 2 – Amr Fahmy (pictured), the Egyptian official sacked last spring as African football’s number two administrator for lifting the lid on the allegedly corrupt activities of his boss, Ahmad, is gunning to unseat him by going for the region’s top job himself.
Fahmy, whose family have been part of the Confederation of African Football’s secretariat for half a century, has officially entered the race to take over from Ahmad as CAF president in 2021.
“I will start my campaign by visiting Sudan and Ethiopia in February, I am beginning in those two countries because they, along with Egypt, were the first three members of CAF,” Fahmy told the BBC.
“My grandfather Mourad Fahmy was one of the founding members of the CAF and he was general secretary just like my father was too.
“They served African football and it’s my time to do the same but this time from the president’s chair.
“My campaign will focus on pro-Africa, pro-football and anti-corruption.”
Fahmy’s grandfather Mourad served as General Secretary from 1961-1982 and was then replaced by his son Mustapha, who held the post until 2010 before being appointed as the director of competitions at FIFA.
Amr Fahmy was appointed general secretary in November 2017, but was dismissed and replaced by Morocco’s Hajji Mouad with CAF citing “irreconcilable differences” without any credible explanation. That sacking was met with a lot of scepticism over the integrity of the decision by a significant number of CAF’s executive committee who felt Fahmy was doing a good job.
Last spring, Fahmy filed a litany of complaints against Ahmad with the FIFA Ethics Committee which are still being investigated. He was subsequently fired as CAF General Secretary in April on the eve of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations draw in Cairo.
The file against Ahmad is understood to include multiple financial mismanagement accusations as well as a swathe of sexual harassment complaints.
Fahmy’s information is said to show he was ordered by Ahmad to pay $20,000 into accounts of African football association presidents including those of Cape Verde and Tanzania – Ahmed’s supports point out that these payments were transparent and recorded in CAF accounts – and that Ahmad cost CAF an extra $830,000 by striking a deal with French company Tactical Steel.
Ahmad has denied all the allegations but has endured a torrid last 12 months in charge of CAF and now faces the prospect of taking on his former ally turned enemy if he decides to go for a second term of office.
That is assuming that FIFA’s Ethics department have not stepped in to investigate and potentially remove him from office before the election. Similarly Fahmy would also have to pass the FIFA tests in order to stand.
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