By Paul Nicholson
July 18 – With the Confederation of African Football (CAF) set to cede control of its affairs to FIFA and its ‘delegate for Africa, FIFA general secretary Fatma Samoura, a former FIFA employee and candidate for a CAF position on FIFA’s Council, Zelkifi R Ngoufonia (Zul), has written a hard hitting letter to FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
September 18 – FIFA President Gianni Infantino says the unprecedented move to send in his number two to clean up African football will “significantly improve” the sport on the continent.
July 18 – An early goal from Odion Ighalo gave Nigeria a 1-0 win over Tunisia in their third-place playoff at the Africa Cup of Nations.
By Osasu Obayiuwana in Cairo
July 17 – The Ordinary General Assembly of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) will be asked, on July 18, to approve FIFA’s parachuting in of its general secretary, Fatma Samoura, who will be involved in the running of CAF from August 1.
By Osasu Obayiuwana in Cairo, Egypt
July 17 – The Confederation of African Football, (CAF), will, on Wednesday, have what will be, arguably, its most difficult Executive Committee (Exco) session since Madagascar’s Ahmad was elected CAF President in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in March 2017.
July 17 – Former president Sepp Blatter has blasted the decision to appoint secretary general Fatma Samoura to take over the management of Africa football governance as “colonialist” and says it flouts FIFA rules.
By Osasu Obayiuwana in Cairo
July 16 – CAF President Ahmad has told Insideworldfootball that he is prepared to defend, before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), the decision of his organisation’s Executive Committee to order a replay of the second leg of the Champions League final between Tunisia’s Esperance and Morocco’s Wydad Athletic Club (WAC).
July 17 – More pressure is mounting on under-fire African football chief Ahmad, this time over an expense bill he is claimed to have taken from his confederation.
July 17 – Clarence Seedorf looks to be on the verge of being dismissed as coach of Cameroon after a disappointing Africa Cup of Nations campaign with the Indomitable Lions ended in the round of 16 against West African rivals Nigeria.
July 15 – Riyad Mahrez’s stunning stoppage-time free kick gave Algeria an unlikely 2-1 win over Nigeria on Sunday and sent his country into their first African Cup of Nations final since 1990 when they won the title for the only time.
July 15 – The Cameroon Football Federation (Fecafoot) has handed a life ban to its former president Tombi A Roko Sidiki after its ethics commission found him guilty of financial misappropriation and a conflict of interest.
By Osasu Obayiuwana in Cairo, Egypt
July 14 – Mustapha Fahmy (pictured), who served as the General Secretary of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for 28 years, from 1982 until 2010, has launched a blistering attack on current CAF President Ahmad, accusing him of incompetence and destroying the 62-year-old organisation.
By Osasu Obayiuwana in Cairo, Egypt
July 13 – Mohamed El Sherei, sacked as CAF’s Finance Director on July 8, has told Insideworldfootball that CAF President Ahmad instructed him to use the organisation’s funds to pay for the flights and expenses of several CAF executive committee members, important CAF officials and FA Presidents across Africa that attended the Umrah, the “lesser pilgrimage,” in Saudi Arabia in May 2018.
By Osasu Obayiuwana in Cairo, Egypt.
July 11 – The Confederation of African Football (CAF), headquartered in Cairo, is seeking the finalisation of a treaty that gives CAF the official status, with diplomatic rights, of an international sports organisation functioning in the country. CAF has operated in Egypt since 1957, and until 2007 without an official ‘Hosting Agreement’ with the Egyptian government. The 2007 agreement automatically renewed in 2012 for five years but expired in 2017.
July 12 – The vice-president of Burundi’s football federation, Aimable Habimana, has reportedly been detained on issues relating to players bonuses in the latest scandal to rock African football.