The Court of Arbitration for Sport will examine on March 2 the appeal of former African football boss Ahmad Ahmad against his suspension by Fifa, which may allow him to return to the race for a second term.
The sports court has “implemented an accelerated procedure” and will deliver its sentence “before March 12”, the day of the elections for the presidency of the African Football Confederation (CAF) scheduled for Rabat, according to a statement released Friday.
If he is cleared of the ethical breaches that earned him five years of suspension imposed in November, the 61-year-old Madagascan leader may therefore try to recover his post, while four candidates are already in the running.
“Due in particular to a risk of irreparable damage for Mr. Ahmad in the event of maintenance of the disciplinary sanction” before the poll, the CAS “temporarily suspends the effects” of the decision of Fifa, allowing the ex-boss of African football to campaign.
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On November 19, the ethics committee of the body had deprived Ahmad Ahmad for five years of “any activity relating to football”, national or international, and sentenced him to a 200,000 Swiss francs (185,000 euros) fine. .
Fifa’s internal justice system held that he “had failed in his duty of loyalty, granted gifts and other benefits, inappropriately managed funds and abused his position as president of CAF”.
The interim is provided by the Congolese Constant Omari, and Fifa has validated four candidacies to succeed Ahmad Ahmad: the Mauritanian Ahmed Yahya, the South African Patrice Motsepe, the Senegalese Augustin Senghor and the Ivorian Jacques Anouma.
Each of the 54 African federations has one vote for a multi-round majority ballot, which can lead to alliances after the first round if an absolute majority is not achieved.