Caf set to hold 2021 Afcon qualifiers draw
What you need to know:
- Ahmad was recently detained and questioned by French authorities over the corruption allegations and Fifa’s Ethics Committee is also investigating him
- The Caf president, who was elected into office in March 2017, has denied the allegations
- Meanwhile, Kenya will know who will be their group opponents when the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier’s draw is conducted
IN CAIRO, EGYPT
The Confederation of Africa Football (Caf) will hold its General Assembly on Thursday in Cairo before the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers draw is conducted later in the day.
This is the first meeting of the 54-member body since allegations of fraud were made against its president Madagascan Ahmad Ahmad in April.
Ahmad was recently detained and questioned by French authorities over the corruption allegations and Fifa’s Ethics Committee is also investigating him.
The Caf executive committee was due to meet on Tuesday where the issue of the African football body ceding control of the organisation to Fifa was likely to feature prominently.
Fifa last month made the unprecedented decision to appoint its secretary general Fatma Samoura as the 'Fifa General Delegate for Africa to help streamline the running of Caf.
The Senegalese is set to begin her work at Caf next month.
Ahmad is accused of improperly giving a contract to a French firm.
Additionally, a BBC investigative story recently revealed that Ahmad received two sets of expenses, claiming to be in two different countries, for the same nine-day period during the 2018 World Cup.
The Caf president, who was elected into office in March 2017, has denied the allegations. He is scheduled to hold a press conference on Wednesday afternoon.
Meanwhile, Kenya will know who will be their group opponents when the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier’s draw is conducted. Caf released the seeding for the draw on Tuesday night based on the Fifa world rankings.
Harambee Stars are in Pot 2, together with Guinea, South Africa, Cape Verde and Uganda. Others in the pot are Zambia, Benin, Gabon, Congo Brazzaville, Mauritania, Niger and Libya
Teams have been seeded into five pots. Nations drawn from Pot 5 will play against each other in a set of four matches with the winners qualifying for the group stage.
Pots
Pot 1: Senegal, Tunisia, Nigeria, Morocco, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Cameroon (hosts), Egypt, Burkina Faso, Mali, Ivory Coast, Algeria
Pot 2: Guinea, South Africa, Cape Verde, Uganda, Zambia, Benin, Gabon, Congo Brazzaville, Mauritania, Niger, Kenya, Libya
Pot 3: Madagascar, Zimbabwe, Central African Republic, Namibia, Sierra Leone, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, Angola, Malawi, Togo, Sudan, Tanzania
Pot 4: Burundi, Rwanda, Equatorial Guinea, eSwatini (formerly Swaziland), Lesotho, Botswana, Comoros, Ethiopia and four preliminary-round winners
Pot 5: Chad, Djibouti, Gambia, South Sudan, Liberia, Mauritius, Sao Tome e Principe, Seychelles
