This archive report was first published on 18 July 2019.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has unveiled a plan to jointly administer African football with the regional body CAF, in a move aimed at 'significantly improving' the sport on the continent.
Infantino made the announcement on Wednesday, following corruption allegations against CAF president Ahmad Ahmad.
According to Infantino, the unprecedented move will see FIFA's Senegalese secretary general Fatma Samoura sent on a nine-month secondment from August to overhaul CAF, which has been plagued by chaos.
The plan, which was presented to CAF's executive committee on Wednesday, includes possible changes to the format of CAF competitions, a review of refereeing, and a task force to improve stadium security.
Infantino also brushed aside suggestions that there was widespread opposition to the move, saying that 'what counts is that we decide to cooperate'.
CAF vice-president Amaju Pinnick, however, disputed the notion that FIFA was taking over, saying that the move was 'pure collaboration' aimed at strengthening CAF's judicial, governance, and fiscal discipline.
Infantino's announcement comes as CAF president Ahmad Ahmad faces further allegations of fraud, including a recent detention and questioning by French authorities in June as part of a corruption investigation.
Infantino has confirmed that there is an ethics investigation into Ahmad, although he has not been suspended.
Reuters/Fabrizio Bensch
FIFA President Gianni Infantino speaks during his news conference in Rome, Italy, February 27, 2019.
