This archive report was first published on 19 July 2019.
On July 18, 2019, Confederation of African Football (CAF) President Ahmad Ahmad made a significant move by firing his deputy Amaju Pinnick, just as FIFA was releasing details of a road map to revitalize the crisis-hit organization.
According to sources, Pinnick, the president of the Nigerian Football Federation, was standing up to Ahmad on various issues, which led to the CAF president's decision to sack him.
At a hastily-assembled meeting of the CAF executive committee, Ahmad announced the change, stating, 'I've changed my cabinet.'
However, Pinnick released a statement claiming that his term was up and that he had agreed with Ahmad not to renew it.
Ahmad's decision to fire Pinnick comes as no surprise, given the ongoing corruption probe by FIFA's ethics committee. The committee is investigating Ahmad for alleged corruption, and this move is seen as an attempt to consolidate power.
As part of the changes, Constant Omari of the Democratic Republic of Congo has been appointed as the first vice president, replacing Pinnick. Morocco's Fouzi Lekjaa will be the second vice president, and Danny Jordaan of South Africa will be the third vice president.
It is worth noting that the appointment of vice presidents is the prerogative of the CAF president and is not an elected post.
Ahmad has made significant changes to the CAF leadership in the past three months, including firing his general secretary, finance director, and now senior deputy.
As part of a compromise agreement with FIFA, the global governing body will take over the running of CAF in August, with FIFA's Senegalese secretary general Fatma Samoura overseeing the overhaul of the organization.
