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CAF president Ahmad Ahmad had his football ban for a series of corruption offences cut from five years to two years by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) making him ineligible to run for the continental body’s top job on Friday.
In January, Ahmad was restored as president by CAS as the Madagascan official continued to battle sanctions imposed on him by Fifa.
The international federation had imposed a five-year ban from all football-related activity on for multiple breaches of its Code of Ethics.
The adjudicatory chamber of the independent Ethics Committee of world football’s governing body found Ahmad, also a Fifa vice-president, guilty of breaches of articles of the Code of Ethics relating to duty of loyalty, offering and accepting gifts or other benefits, abuse of position and misappropriation of funds.
Fifa said the investigation into Ahmad’s conduct as Caf president during the period from 2017 to 2019 concerned various Caf-related governance issues, including the organisation and financing of an Umrah pilgrimage to Mecca, his involvement in Caf’s dealings with sports equipment company Tactical Steel and “other activities”.
The Fifa findings led to the Caf Governance Committee declaring Ahmad ineligible ahead of elections that are due to take place at a general assembly meeting in Rabat, Morocco, on Friday.
Ahmad appealed the Fifa sanctions to CAS, with the court ruling on his request for provisional measures.
With his statement of appeal requesting the annulment of the Fifa decision, Ahmad filed a request for provisional measures in order to be able to participate in the Caf elections.
In agreement with Ahmad and Fifa, CAS initiated an expedited procedure.
A decision has now been made with Ahmad’s ban reduced to two years.
His fine has also been slashed from CHF200 000 ($214 200/€180 400) to CHF50 000.
The 61-year old was cleared of any wrongdoing in the arrangements concerning Caf’s dealings with Tactical Steel, but was still found to have breached three other Fifa ethics rules.
Ahmad was elected as Caf president in March 2017.
Fifa boss Giovanni Infantino was said to be backing Ahmad’s candidacy over former president Issa Hayatou, with the Madagascan’s victory coming as a major surprise. – Sport Business
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