Ahmad coy on Caf presidency re-election bid

Under-fire president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Ahmad Ahmad has remained coy on whether he will run for re-election next year.

The Malagasay administrator, who succeeded Issa Hayatou for the top job in African football in March 2017, has endured allegations of financial mismanagement and sexual harassment.

He was even arrested and questioned by French authorities in June 2019, but was later released without charge.

The 2021 CAF presidential elections will be held in Rabat, Morocco in March, with candidates able to apply for a place on the ballot until November 12 of this year.

“I am finalising with my team,” Ahmad said in response when asked on a video press conference whether he would run for re-election, as quoted by Inside World Football.

“Such a position in society in a continent is not about personal ambition, it is a commitment that is sought after by different interest groups.”

Ahmad, should he choose to run, can expect at the least a rival bid from North Africa.

For example, Amr Fahmy, Egypt’s former CAF general secretary and the man who blew the whistle on Ahmad’s alleged corruption, planned to run in the election but has since died of cancer.