Caf secretary general resigns amid crisis

Mouad Hajji, the Confederation of African Football’s (Caf) Secretary General, has resigned amid a growing crisis for African football’s governing body.

Caf confirmed Hajji’s departure, less than a year after he took the job, explaining he took the decision for “personal reasons”.

In a statement Hajji said, “I would like to warmly thank President Ahmad Ahmad for giving me the opportunity to serve the football of our continent at such a level of responsibility”.

He further expressed his desire to “return to Morocco as soon as possible”.

Caf President Ahmad Ahmad will convene an emergency committee to appoint an Acting Secretary General “as soon as possible”.

This is a troubling time for the body, after an independent audit conducted by Pricewaterhouse Coopers found Caf’s accounting was “unreliable and not trustworthy”, while its workforce was “understaffed”, “overworked” and “demotivated”.

Caf will now begin the process of appointing its third Secretary General in less than a year, after Amr Fahmy, who recently lost his two-year battle with cancer, was dismissed eleven months ago.

Fahmy was fired shortly after complaining to world football’s governing body, Fifa, about corruption within Caf.

Caf has maintained its innocence, but the allegations were grave enough to warrant a full investigation by Fifa, which is ongoing.

No official explanation was given for Fahmy’s dismissal, but it opened the position up to Hajji, a former dentist. 

Photo: En24 News