CAF Lends Support to Biennial World Cup Proposal
Confederation of African Football (CAF), through its Executive Committee (EXCO), has given its support to the idea of organizing the FIFA World Cup every two years
The Confederation of African Football (CAF), through its Executive Committee (EXCO), has given its support to the idea of organizing the FIFA World Cup every two years.
The EXCO reached the decision on Friday July 16, 2021 during its meeting in Rabat, Morocco.
World football governing body FIFA, during its 71st congress on May 21, 2021, overwhelmingly (166 federations for, 22 against) endorsed a proposal from the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF), which calls for a feasibility study into holding both the men’s and women’s world cups every two years.
Both men’s and women’s world cups are hosted after every four years, but the SAFF “believe the future of football is at a critical juncture. The many issues that football has faced have now been further exacerbated by the ongoing pandemic. It is time to review how the global game is structured and to consider what is best for the future of our sport,” said SAFF president Yasser Al-Misehal.
CAF fully supports the project and asked that FIFA be informed of the favorable reception from its EXCO meeting.
Reorganization of CAF
According to a CAF release, the Executive Committee was informed by the General Secretary, Véron Mosengo-Omba, of the conclusions of the final report of the audit launched by PwC in March 2021.
CAF in early July received the Final Investigation Report from PricewaterhouseCoopers (“PwC Final Report”).
The PwC Interim Report, which was circulated to CAF Member Associations in May 2021, identified certain irregular, unethical and improper transactions and conduct, CAF said.
“Reaffirming its commitment to good governance, the Executive Committee gave its support to the General Secretary to quickly implement the PwC recommendations and to explore the legal consequences of the findings of this report.
“The implementation of these recommendations will make CAF more attractive to its current and potential partners and sponsors,” CAF said.
Competitions and Other Resolutions
EXCO has, at the same time, instructed the Interclub Competitions Committee to accelerate the feasibility study of the African Supranational League project.
Furthermore, the EXCO announced a first calendar for the interclub competitions of the 2021/2022 season as follows:
- The kick-off will be September 10, 2021
- The draw for the preliminary rounds will be made on 15 August, 2021 at the latest.
- Bids to host the interclub finals will be opened in November 2021.
The Exco also took note of the reports of the inspection missions organized by CAF for the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations 2021 in Cameroon. It was also informed of the good progression of the work regarding the completion of stadiums under construction and other facilities.
A final inspection visit in mid-August will assess the progress of the Olembe stadium and the possibility of organizing the next home match of the Cameroon national team in the September 2021 window.