February 18 – Algeria’s Mohamed Raouraoua (right) has pulled out of standing for re-election as one of Africa’s FIFA executive committee members after serving a single term.
The 67-year-old president of the Algerian FA had been expected to be among four candidates vying for two available slots during the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Congress in Cairo on April 7.
But CAF says he has withdrawn, leaving present incumbent Jacques Anouma of the Ivory Coast, Tarek Bouchamaoui of Tunisia and Constant Omari Selemani of the Democratic Republic of Congo in the race.
Raouraoua was elected on to FIFA’s exco in 2011, replacing disgraced Nigerian official Amos Adamu, who FIFA suspended for allegedly seeking bribes during the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bidding contests.
The Algerian was touted as a possible successor to long-standing CAF president Issa Hayatou but appears to have been marginalised due to regional in-fighting amid complaints that North Africa was over-represented at FIFA.
As a result, from 2017 CAF are to amend their rules, with one seat reserved for its CAF president, one for a French speaker, one for a candidate from an English speaking country and one to be shared among the Arab-speaking and Portuguese-speaking countries.
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