By Paul Nicholson in Manama, Bahrain
May 7 – The odds – as well as CAF and FIFA – were stacked against him, with few even expecting him to make it to the start line for the African election of its last FIFA Council member. It has been a political process that makes the not-so-long-ago days of Issa Hayatou’s reign as president of the confederation start to look like a model for transparency and equality.
Zelkifili Ngoufonja (the candidate known as Zul) first battled against being told he hadn’t admitted his candidacy in time. Postal receipts proved he had.
He was then told that Cameroon had withdrawn their proposal for his candidacy (no reasons given why but Cameroon needs FIFA help at CAS at the moment). However, their last minute withdrawal was too late for him to be forced to withdraw from the election.
Then there was the matter of the eligibility test. FIFA’s chairman of the Governance and the Review Committee Miguel Maduro informed him on Friday he was clear to stand in Monday’s election, but with strings attached.
He has been “provisionally” admitted to stand but the eligibility gurus haven’t had time to gather all the information they need (to ban him?). “As it has been done in other cases, (the committee) reserves itself the right to reverse the decision on admissibility,” says Maduro’s letter.
FIFA has employed “an independent investigative service company specialising in integrity checks”. Good to know they have their own ‘independent’ investigators as most other authorities seem to have their investigators pointed at FIFA at the moment. Independent is becoming as much of a misunderstood word in FIFA as racism or transparency, other misunderstood words like governance and integrity spring to mind.
But really FIFA need not be wasting its dwindling cash mountain on private investigators looking into the eligibility of a man who was one of their own development officers for more than five years before resigning last month.
This is an election that was decided before it was even declared. Zul’s victory is that he made it to the start line – a young colt up against political thoroughbreds juiced up with every trick in the book (see Abu Rida calls African presidents to Cairo for celebration, lobbying and a private jet ride).
For Zul, or any of the other candidates standing, it will take an integrity epiphany of gigantic proportion by Africa’s federation presidents to overcome Egyptian Hany Abu Rida. When these voters prepare themselves for their Congress they should take a minute to reflect (honestly, if only to themselves) if they are really happy with the way they have been manipulated and the people that are doing it.
Zul, if he were elected, would be the youngest member of the FIFA Council and the only one with hands-on regional development experience. There is no room for football people like that in Gianni Infantino’s FIFA – he is paying for an army of ex-legends for that whose idea of grassroots is the stuff they used to smoke between training sessions.
As for Zul, he is a smart, brave young man who stood up with principles, action plans and a fierce desire to serve his continent. We don’t see many of them get this far in FIFA or Confederation elections. The sad thing is we are unlikely to see him again.
Zul’s family have a charitable foundation that helps young girls and young women in Cameroon – it is an impressive and noble community project founded by his mother who recently passed away. For those who might be feeling a pang of guilt reading this article then soothe your soul with a donation to that charity and do a bit of good.
Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1734960325labto1734960325ofdlr1734960325owedi1734960325sni@n1734960325osloh1734960325cin.l1734960325uap1734960325