The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has released its list of candidates for today’s elections, after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) completed its assessment of challenges to CAF and FIFA Decisions to block certain candidatures. The only candidate for CAF President is Patrice Motsepe, after the CAS partially upheld an appeal from former CAF President Ahmad Ahmad, reducing his ban to two years for violations of the FIFA Code of Ethics. Motsepe is a South African mining billionaire who owns Mamelodi Sundowns. 

There are currently 21 members of the CAF Executive Committee, however the mandate of eight members expires in 2021, leaving 13 incumbent members. Sixteen candidates will compete for the eight available spots, which are divided into African regions. In Decisions on 29 January and 12 February, which aren’t available via its internet site, the CAF banned certain candidates from standing for election.

The CAS upheld a challenge from Seidou Njoya, President of the Cameroon football association (Fecafoot), to the CAF’s Decision to declare him ineligible for election to the CAF Executive Committee. He will stand against Adoum Djibrine of Chad, who is standing for re-election despite his mandate expiring, as its member for Central Africa.

The CAS also upheld Guinean Mamadou Souaré’s challenge to the two CAF Decisions mentioned above. This means he will stand against Mustapha Raji of Liberia to become a CAF Executive Committee member for Western Africa A, as one spot has been vacated due to the ten year ban imposed on Musa Hassan Bility, Raji’s predecessor as President of the Liberian FA, for misappropriating FIFA funds.

There is one vacant spot for Northern Africa, which will be filled by Wade Jary of Tunisia, who is standing unopposed. There is also one vacant spot for Central East Africa, which Suleiman Waberi (currently a CAF Executive Committee member) of Djibouti and Jira Isayas of Ethiopia are contesting. There is also one vacant spot for Western Africa B, which Djibrilla Hima of Niger and Simeon Oraku of Ghana are contesting.

There are two vacant spots for South Africa, which are being contested by four candidates. They are Feizal Sidat of Mozambique; Elvis Chetty of The Seychelles; Maclean Letshwithi of Botswana; and Arthur de Almeida e. Silva of Angola. There is one vacant spot on the Executive Committee reserved for a female member, which three candidates are contesting. They are Kanizat Ibrahim from Comoros, Chair of the CAF Normalisation Committee; Patricia Rajeriarison from Madagascar, a member of CAF Women’s Football Organising Committee; and Lawson Edzona from Togo, a member of the CAF Referees Committee.

There are six FIFA Council members from the CAF and as with the Executive Committee, the CAF divides them into electoral groups. Two spots are available on the ‘Francophone Group’, two on the ‘Anglophone Group’, two on the ‘Arabic/Spanish/Portuguese’ Group, and one ‘Female Representative’ is to be appointed.

On 26 January, the FIFA Review Committee declared Khireddine Zetchi of Algeria and Constant Omari from the Democratic Republic of Congo as ineligible for the CAF Elections to the FIFA Council. Zetchi’s appeal was upheld, and he appears alongside current FIFA Council member Hany Rida of Egypt; and CAF Executive Committee member Fouzi Lekjaa of Morocco as the three candidates for election as an Arabic/Spanish/Portuguese speaking CAF member of the FIFA Council.

The CAS rejected Omari’s challenge, which means that Mathurin de Chacus of Benin and Mamadou Touré of Mali will be appointed as FIFA Council members for the ‘Francophone Group’, as they are standing unopposed. Omari was detained in 2018 as part of an embezzlement inquiry. Despite this, he remained as a member of the FIFA Council until today, and was appointed as CAF Acing President whilst Ahmad Ahmad was suspended pending his CAS appeal. It is understood that Omari remains under investigation by the FIFA Ethics Committee.

Nicholas Kithuku of Kenya; Walter Nyamilandou of Malawi (the FIFA Council member whose mandate expires); Amaju Pinnick of Nigeria; and Kamanga Andrew of Zambia are contesting the two available spots on the ‘Anglophone Group’. Lydia Nsekera of Burundi (the FIFA Council member whose mandate expires) and Isha Johansen of Sierra Leone, who is vacating the ‘Female Representative’ role on the CAF Executive Committee, are contesting the one ‘Female Representative’ post available on the FIFA Council.