HomeAfrica2020 review of top news items in African football.

2020 review of top news items in African football.

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January: Mane finally wins African best award

https://youtu.be/WjFcylrr1qY

Senegal and Liverpool forward Sadio Mane won the African best player 2019 award at an event in the Egyptian city of Hurghada on January 7. He became the final awardee for the decade 2010 -2019.

He succeeded Liverpool teammate Mohamed Salah who was also shortlisted along with Manchester City’s Riyad Mahrez.

Mane helped his club side win the UEFA Champions League in the 2018/2019 season and was captain of the Senegal side that lost the 2019 AFCON to Algeria in Egypt. He eventually helped club side Liverpool to a historic Premier League trophy.

It was the fourth straight time that he had been shortlisted for the award. He lost in 2016 to Gabon’s Aubameyang (at the time with Dortmund), then missed out to Salah twice in 2017 and 2018.

February: FIFA’s mission to clean African football ends

FIFA’s six months joint control of African soccer ended in February when Secretary-General Fatma Samoura’s temporary leadership of the continent’s governing body was not extended by CAF ExCo members.

Samoura was dispatched to CAF in August 2019 with the task of cleaning up the organization. FIFA also declared Samoura’s mission as “General Delegate for Africa” complete after a meeting of the CAF executive committee.

Changes implemented during Samoura’s mission include enhanced financial controls, better salaries for staff and new ethics structures, FIFA said.

CAF president Ahmad Ahmad’s ethics probe was still underway at the time as he faced accusations of sexual harassment and bribery, as well as claims of personal and financial impropriety.

March: FIFA reschedules congress slated for Ethiopia

https://youtu.be/cvHAdTT26dE

In March, football’s world governing body, FIFA, announced the rescheduling of its 70th Congress that was scheduled for May 2020 at the African Union’s headquarters in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa to September 2020 at the time.o

An official statement issued on March 11 read in part: “On account of the spread of COVID-19, numerous international bodies and public health authorities have advised against the organisation of international events.

Concerns over the health and well-being of participants, as well as travel restrictions in many countries, have resulted in the cancellation or postponement of many such events in various parts of the world.

Mindful of this, and given the wish of FIFA to organise a Congress which all member associations are able to attend, the Bureau of the FIFA Council has decided to reschedule the 70th FIFA Congress from Friday 5 June 2020 to Friday 18 September 2020 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.”

It has still not taken place!

March: CAF postpones AFCON 2021

The Executive Committee of the Confederation of African Football, CAF, postponed the 2021 Africa

Cup of Nations, AFCON to January 2022 citing the coronavirus pandemic. The tournament had been scheduled to take place between January and February 2021. The football governing body, however decided that the local version of the AFCON, the Championship of African Nations, CHAN, will take place in January 2021.

It had originally been slated to be played between April 4 – 25 this year but the local organizing committee announced the decision to suspend the competition after a meeting.Both competitions will be hosted by Cameroon. Cameroon suspended the CHAN, a version of the African Cup of Nations reserved for players that play on the continent, in March due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The current champions are Morocco who beat Nigeria in the final of the last tournament in 2018.

November: CAF president banned from football

 

The head of Confederation of African Football (CAF), Ahmad Ahmad, was banned from football for five years by FIFA’s adjudicatory chamber after an independent Ethics Committee investigation found Ahmad guilty of offering and accepting gifts and other benefits, and misappropriation of funds.

Ahmad had declared his intention to seek re-election as the continent’s football chief in March 2021. He has confirmed he will be appealing the ruling.

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