Sports
Africa Football Body, CAF In Disarray

Football’s governing body in Africa has been shown to be in a state of disarray, an audit has revealed.
The investigation into the Confederation of African Football (CAF) questioned the body’s accounting, its governance, and its payments.
Amongst other details, the audit, carried out by Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC), found that:
The audit highlighted transactions totalling more than $20m (£15.4m) which either have “little or no supporting documentation” or were considered “higher risk”.
One area the PwC audit suggested further investigation was “the role played” by CAF President AhmadAhmad and his attaché, Loic Gerand, among others, in the deal with French company Tactical Steel. The company’s financial dealings with CAF were described as “highly suspicious”.
Mr Ahmad has already strenuously denied any wrongdoing with regard to this case.
The forensic audit, which was complicated by CAF’s tendency to make most of its payments in cash, also suggested considerable reforms were needed throughout CAF.
The organisation’s structure was described as being over-reliant on decisions made by the executive committee (ExCo), despite the latter meeting “once a quarter, resulting in delays in key decision-making and preventing managers of CAF departments from making timely business-critical decisions”.
In addition, a lack of clarity in CAF’s organisational structure has left departments “understaffed” and existing staff both “overworked” and “generally demotivated”.
The confidential audit, a copy of which has been seen by the BBC, was carried out as part of the unprecedented decision to send the secretary-general of football’s world governing body, FIFA, to improve the way that CAF was run.
Concluding her six-month role in early February, Fatma Samoura presented her findings to leading figures in the CAF administration, who have said they will address the recommendations laid out by a joint FIFA/CAF ask force.
These include, among others, a major restructuring of CAF’s organisational hierarchy, introducing a term limit for both the president and ExCo members and the introduction of an ethics code.
Whether ExCo members are prepared to approve fundamental changes when they meet on Friday is another matter. But a statement this week made the right noises.
“More than 30 years of an outdated and patriarchal management at CAFhave resulted in important shortcomings at all levels of operations,” CAFaid.
“CAF will persevere… to ensure that we achieve the highest international standards.”
The damning audit highlights a raft of financial deals which require further investigation, with CAF President Ahmad, a 60-year-old from Madagascar, one of those under scrutiny.
The president
PwC recommended an investigation into Ahmad’s role in the controversial decision to employ Tactical Steel, a little-known gym equipment manufacturer, to become a key supplier of sportswear to CAF
Mr Ahmad has previously told the BBC – in response to being asked if he had cancelled a deal with sportswear company Puma, worth $250,000, to take up a larger order with Tactical Steel, worth $1m, in December 2017 – that the accusations were “false, malicious, defamatory (and) part of a vendetta”.
The CAFpresident blamed his General Secretary, Amr Fahmy, who had formally complained to FIFA for spreading the story. CAF’s finance director at the time, Mohamed El Sherei, also took the case to FIFA
Both men have since been dismissed.
“From the communications reviewed, it appears that CAF’s president office was directly involved in agreeing to the initial offer of Tactical Steel and then the additional handling and logistics costs without involving relevant departments in CAF such as procurement, marketing and finance,” the PwC audit said.
Tactical Steel is run by Romauld Seillier, a long-standing friend and former army colleague of Loic Gerand, Mr Ahmad’s attaché.
During the course of this deal, several payments made by CAF to Tactical Steel and the latter’s affiliate, ES Pro Consulting Ltd, based in the United Arab Emirates, were returned to CAF for reasons that are unclear.
“The refunds from Tactical Steel and ES Pro Consulting… are highly suspicious which could potentially indicate a kick-back arrangement between parties involved or a case of tax evasion through off-shore payments,” the audit said.
In June 2019, Mr Ahmad, who took charge of CAF in March 2017, was questioned in the French capital, Paris, by anti-corruption authorities before being released without charge.
PwC’s audit has also suggested closing down CAF’s Emergency Committee, a group involving the Caf President and any three ExCo members, which can bypass ExCo and fast track decision making.
“Based on the documentation at hand, it appears that the decisions of the Emergency Committee has (sic) been taken in a less than transparent matter,” the report stated.
The auditors observed “multiple payments for the same period/dates” when it came to claiming travel expenses. Although the report failed to mention Mr Ahmad by name in relation to expenses, the BBC revealed last year how the CAF president received two different sets of expenses when for being in two different countries at the same time.
Given that the audit was conducted “in relation to FIFA Ethics guidance”, it remains to be seen what action, if any, will be taken against the Malagasy.
‘Unusual payments’
As part of its audit, PwC reviewed just under $10m of payments made with money that FIFAgave to CAF to distribute as part of its FIFA Forward programme, which aims to enhance football development in countries across the world.
However, only five of the 40 payments “appeared to be aligned to purpose”, said the report.
The rest – totalling some $8.3m – either had “little or no supporting documentation” or were considered “unusual/higher risk” with no patterns “identified in terms of the nature or the value of the payments”.
Details were thin on the ground in some cases – with the governing body of the central and east African region, Cecafa, receiving a payment of $0.5m when the only information given was that this was to organise an Under-17 match in Burundi.
Meanwhile, the governing body of the southern African region, Cosafa, was allocated $400,000 to stage an Under-20 game.
The story was largely the same for the annual subvention funds that CAFpays to its 54 member associations, which is currently $200,000 per year – having risen from $50,000 and then $100,000 per year under Mr Ahmad.
Of the 66 high-risk payments reviewed, 48 – worth some $11m – had insufficient documentation.
Particularly troubling were three payments of $100,125 each supposedly made for the benefit of the Liberian FA – one of which ended up in Estonia, two of which were sent to a mystery company in Poland.
This was called Rosenbaum Contemporary and when its website was operating – prior to disappearing in 2019 – it identified itself as an industrial company.
Why the money went there is unclear, with PwC recommending legal action to recover the funds as well as a desire to “rule out ‘insider’ involvement’ within CAF
Complicating matters for those trying to understand the true nature of CAF’s finances is the fact that many of the organisation’s payments are made in cash, particularly to staff.
It cites a withdrawal of $350,000 in cash in December 2017, which was simply marked as “payroll expenses”, by way of example.
Of the 25 information requests that PwC made to Caf, all were granted save for three – with both “bonuses” and “travel expenses” among the latter.
Executive committee
·“During the review, it was observed that payments and reimbursements to ExCo members majorly contribute to CAF’s administrative expenses”
CAF’s ExCo – which is effectively the organisation’s board – also has issues to address in light of the audit, which questions the manner in which they are compensated.
“Exco members – jointly or through a committee comprising a part of the Exco members (e.g. compensation committee) – propose and approve salaries, bonuses, end of term benefits, indemnities and allowances for the members of the ExCo, leading to a self-approval situation.”
Thirty-five payments made to the ExCo were reviewed yet not one had all the “required documentation to clearly establish the legitimacy of the payments”.
In 2016, a period when Mr Ahmad’s predecessor Issa Hayatou was in charge, $36,150 was paid to wives of ExCo members yet the latter could not provide documents regarding the “eligibility of spouses of ExCo members for such payments”.
“CAFas also booked several ad-hoc payments to ExCo members – e.g. buying gifts, offering donations, organising funeral etc. – for which no documents were provided for review,” the audit added.
Despite receiving indemnities of $450 per day when on duty and an annual bonus of at least $60,000, ExCo members are considered by the audit to hinder CAF’s daily working activities.
“The ExCo, which is held responsible to take all executive decisions, meets once a quarter, resulting in delays in key decision making and preventing managers of CAF departments from making timely business-critical decisions.”
Governance
·“Caf being a football governing body to promote and develop the game in Africa, it is important that CAF effectively manages its stakeholders – external and internal – effectively. Currently, there is little or no understanding about who the stakeholders are for the individual department.”
With an unclear hierarchy and delays in decisions, Caf’s working environment appears far from perfect – with the result that staff are said to be “demotivated”.
“Staff expressed a lack of systematic communication, concerning key decisions, resulting in great amount of unclarity… and feeling of exclusion,” said the audit.
“Staff are unaware of the existing organisation structure… Job roles and responsibilities assigned to individual staff members are not properly defined and known.”
The list goes on – from a lack of leadership, committees meeting on an “ad-hoc basis without systematic planning” through to the lack of a dedicated IT department.
In addition, staff attendance, overtime, vacations and medical absences are said to be neither monitored nor captured.
Meanwhile, large swathes of financial records are simply missing – with PwC estimating that it was unable to access around 20% of the data required for the period in review, which covered 2014-2019.
“Several sweeping governance and operational measures have already been implemented before and during the six-month partnership with Fifa,” Caf’s statement said.
“The ExCo has scheduled a meeting for 14 February to validate the 2020-21 Caf roadmap which will take into accounts (sic) all the recommendations.”
Given the roadmap suggests relieving the ExCo of management and administrative responsibilities, it promises to be quite some journey.
Sports
I Joined Saudi League To Win Titles – Senegal Keeper
Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy has said that criticism that he and other players chased money by moving to Saudi Arabia is wide of the mark.
The 33-year-old left Chelsea for Al-Ahli in a £16m ($21.4m) deal in 2023, and in May the Africa Cup of Nations winner helped his Saudi club win the Asian Champions League, making him one of the few players to win both that competition and its European equivalent.
But, like many others, Mendy has been criticised for playing for money rather than prestige in the lucrative Saudi Pro League.
When asked about such criticism, Mendy told a Tidesports source, “Al-Ahli’s project came along and they made me feel I had a big role to play.
“Two years later, we won the Champions League for the first time in the club’s history. So yes, that validates my choice. And I hope the coming years will validate it even more.”
He added: “Some people will quickly jump to conclusions and say the only reason is money. From the start, I always said that when I left Chelsea, I knew I was joining another team where I could win everything , which was no longer the case at Chelsea.”
The Blues have since won the Conference League, Europe’s third-tier club competition, under the ownership of Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital.
But it comes after the regime’s trophyless first two years, a period which has frustrated some supporters after the success enjoyed under Roman Abramovich’s stewardship in the previous 19 years.
Mendy has also been celebrating what he describes as a historical win with Senegal against England at Nottingham Forest’s City Ground, but days earlier he had been in Dakar delivering a different kind of win.
He is the sponsor of Yakaar, a school in Keur Massar, which seeks to improve funding and access to digital learning tools for local children from underprivileged backgrounds.
Famously, as Mendy grew up in France, he was unemployed, aged 22, while struggling to find a club, with members of his family still living on the outskirts of Dakar.
That is why Yakaar, a word meaning “hope”, was chosen, a word Mendy has carried with him in his career.
“Hope is what kept me going. When I was without a club, it was the hope of getting that first professional contract.
“Then the hope of playing for the national team. The hope of making my family proud by doing the job I had always dreamed of.
“Indeed, hope is the best word to describe my career.”
Mendy was also asked whether the responsibility of being an African goalkeeper had weighed heavily on him.
“Of course. When I was in England, there weren’t many African goalkeepers in top clubs,” he admitted.
“Whether nationally or internationally, I had that responsibility. It’s the same for other African goalkeepers like Andre Onana [Manchester United] or Yassine Bounou (Al-Hilal).”
Sports
Spanish Football Fires Entire Refereeing Committee
The entire refereeing committee has been fired by the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), with structural reforms soon set to follow.
According to sources, the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has dismissed the entire refereeing committee in response to mounting pressure from clubs demanding structural reform. A major shake-up aimed at modernising Spanish refereeing from top to bottom has now been set in motion.
Head of the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA), Luis Medina Cantalejo and Head of VAR, Carlos Clos Gomez, have been removed from their positions. They are joined by several senior officials, including Antonio Rubinos Perez and three vice presidents, who are also stepping down. A new leadership model will be introduced, led by a CEO and a sporting director, aiming to overhaul how refereeing is managed covering assessments, promotions, and daily operations. While the leadership changes are sweeping, the current pool of referees in La Liga and the second tier will remain, ensuring continuity on the field during the transition.
Sports
Ronaldo Renews Stay With Saudi Pro League
Cristiano Ronaldo has signed a new two-year contract with Al-Nassr that means he will stay with the Saudi Pro League club until beyond his 42nd birthday.
The Portugal captain, 40, joined the Riyadh-based team in December 2022 after leaving Manchester United in acrimonious circumstances, having criticised the club and said he had no respect for manager Erik ten Hag.
Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr deal had been due to expire at the end of June and there was speculation he could leave, but that has now been quashed.
In a post on X, Ronaldo wrote: “A new chapter begins. Same passion, same dream. Let’s make history together.”
Although Al-Nassr have not added to their nine domestic titles during Ronaldo’s time at the club, they have benefited from a flood of goals from the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.
Ronaldo scored 35 times in 41 matches across all competitions last term and was the league’s top scorer for a second consecutive season.
He has managed 99 goals in appearances overall for Al-Nassr and is well on his way to reaching 1,000 senior goals in his career, with a current tally of 938 for club and country.
Having helped Portugal win the Uefa Nations League a little over two weeks ago, the former Manchester United, Real Madrid, Sporting and Juventus forward will almost certainly now be targeting a sixth World Cup appearance next summer.
Only a month ago, Ronaldo posted on social media to say “the chapter is over”.
That came after the Saudi Pro League wrapped up with Al-Nassr finishing third and trophyless once again.
The comment fuelled rumours that Ronaldo was ready to leave the league where he reportedly became the best-paid player in football history with an annual salary of £177m when he joined.
Fifa president Gianni Infantino raised the prospect of Ronaldo joining a team involved in the Club World Cup after Al-Nassr failed to qualify for the extended tournament which is being held in the United States.
Ronaldo said he had received offers from participating teams but had turned them down.
The decision to stay until at least 2027, which is certain to be highly lucrative, appears to rule out any future prospect of Ronaldo returning to play at the highest level in Europe.