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"\nFIFA is to dispatch Secretary-general Fatma Samoura to Cairo\nto try to sort out the chaotic state of the scandal-battered African\nconfederation.\n\n\n\nIf the turmoil within CAF were replicated by a national\nassociation FIFA would have no hesitation in imposing a so-called Normalisation\nCommittee.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \n\n\n\nIt does not have the authority in this case because the\nconfederations are not members of the world body so it was necessary for the\nembattled CAF executive committee to request help from Zurich.\n\n\n\nThe issue contains embarrassing elements for FIFA president\nGianni Infantino since Ahmad Ahmad, the controversial president of CAF, has\nbeen a voluble supporter. Also, it was through Ahmad that Infantino met\nSamoura, who is Senegalese, when she was working in Africa on behalf of the\nUnited Nations. She will now become FIFA’s own ‘High Commissioner’ for the\ncontinent’s trouble-torn football community.\n\n\n\nEvents have moved fast over the past two weeks.\n\n\n\nFirst CAF broke its own rules in ordering a replay of the\nscandal-hit Champions League Final between Esperance of Tunisia and Wydad of\nMorocco then Ahmad was detained for questioning by French police while in Paris\nattending FIFA Congress.\n\n\n\nAhmad was interviewed about the mysterious involvement of a\nFrench company, Tactical Steel, in the negotiating of a lucrative new\nsportswear contract ahead of the African Nations finals which hosts Egypt kick\noff against Zimbabwe in Cairo on Friday. He was released and flew home\nimmediately to Madagascar.\n\n\n\nThe deal was among a number of complaints reported to the\nFIFA ethics committee by the then CAF general secretary Amr Fahmy. Days later\nhe was sacked by Ahmad. Other issues concerned alleged sexual harassment of\nstaff, overspending on new cars and selective 'personal allowance' payments to\na number of African FA presidents.\n\n\n\nIn a further development, a senior Algerian journalist who\nhad published investigative reports about the Tactical Steel deal suddenly\ndiscovered that his accreditation to cover the Nations Cup had been revoked.\n\n\n\nAIPS, the international sports journalists' association, and\nthe Algerian national body have protested on his behalf at the perceived attack\non freedom of expression. This meddling with the media had followed an attempt\nby Ahmad's office to set up a 'captive' African journalists' association.\n\n\n\nEven before the latest scandals came ever closer to home for Ahmad the African confederation was in a parlous state following a string of corruption scandals which led to the suspensions of a number of senior CAF and national association leaders. - AIPS\n"
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