By Samindra Kunti
February 22 – On his pan-African tour, FIFA boss Gianni Infantino, addressing the general assembly of the Council of Southern African Football Associations (COSAFA), in South Africa, called on African teams to step up and leave a mark on the 2026 World Cup, the first global finals to be staged in a 48-team format.
February 22 – Women’s football in South Sudan took a major step forward this weekend with the inauguration of a new domestic league.
February 19 – FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s latest stop on his tour of Africa during the global health crisis – Africa’s football governance is similarly facing a major health crisis – has been the Central African Republic.
February 17 – With politicking in the election of a new president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in full flow, FIFA President Gianni Infantino has begun a tour of African nations with Mauritania his first stop.
February 16 – The former head of the Central African Republic football federation, Patrice-Edouard Ngaïssona (pictured), has pleaded not guilty to war crimes and crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court (ICC).
February 15 – Mauritania’s hope for the top job in African football, Ahmed Yahya (pictured), says players must be better compensated and that national federations need to provide proper working contracts.
By Andrew Warshaw, extra reporting by Samindra Kunti
February 10 – With still no formal government support for this candidacy, South African millionaire businessman Patrice Motsepe (pictured) appears to be struggling to gain sufficient backing to become the next president of the Confederation of African Football.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 8 – Thrown out, surprisingly re-instated, and now apparently thrown out again in a battle for supremacy within African football’s warring factions. The saga over disgraced Confederation of African Football (CAF) chief Ahmad Ahmad’s presidential status has taken another unexpected twist typical of the political shenanigans at the highest level of African football’s heirarchy.
By Paul Nicholson
February 8 – Tunisian protests against federation president Wadie Jary found their way to FIFA headquarters in Zurich on Friday when a group set up banners outside the entrance to FIFA House, waved flags and demanded an end to Jary’s presidency.
February 8 – Morocco became the first team to retain the African Nations Championship (CHAN) after a 2-0 win against Mali in the final.
February 4 – Morocco will have the chance to retain their African Nations Championship (CHAN) title against Mali in Sunday’s final after the defending champions stormed past hosts Cameroon with a 4-0 victory in the semi-finals.
By Andrew Warshaw
February 2 – In a rare and unexpected move that will raise questions over football’s judicial process at the highest level, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has dramatically reinstated disgraced African football chief Ahmad Ahmad as head of his confederation pending a full appeal against his five-year FIFA ban.
By Samindra Kunti
February 1 – Patrice Motsepe is intensifying his election campaign in the race for the presidency of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), hitting the campaign trail once again at the African Nations Championship (CHAN) and the Club World Cup in Qatar.
January 29 – The Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (Cosafa) has endorsed the candidature of South African billionaire Patrice Motsepe (pictured) for the Confederation of African Football (CAF) presidency, just days after FIFA concluded the vetting process for the March elections.
By Paul Nicholson
January 28 – The role of FIFA in African football politics is again coming under scrutiny after the world governing body surprisingly ruled out current interim president Constant Omari (pictured) from the Congo from standing for election for the FIFA Council. FIFA did however clear South Africa’s Patrice Motsepe and Mauritania’s Ahmed Yahya to stand for election for presidency, which confers its own seat on the FIFA Council.