Veron Mosengo-Omba, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) general secretary stepped down on Sunday amid growing calms for this to be fired.
Mosengo-Omba claimed he was retiring, but his departure comes following growing fallout over the decision to strip Senegal of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) title and calls for a probe into allegations of corruption at CAF.
“After over 30 years of an international professional career dedicated to promoting an ideal form of football that brings people together, educates, and creates opportunities for hope, I have decided to step down from my position as Secretary General of CAF to devote myself to more personal projects,” Mosengo-Omba said in a statement.
“Now that I have been able to dispel the suspicions that some people have gone to great lengths to cast on me, I can retire with peace of mind and without constraint, leaving the CAF more prosperous than ever.
“I sincerely thank the CAF’s President Dr Patrice Motsepe, my teams, and all those who, directly or indirectly, have enabled CAF and organised African football to make real and remarkable progress. Let us hope that the progress made will last and be sustained,” he concluded.
The 66-year-old is of Congolese origin, but he is a Swiss citizen and former FIFA employee who was a university friend of FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
Although he said he was retiring, Mosengo-Omba is expected to run for the post of president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s football federation in elections in the coming months, sources told the Reuters news agency.
This could lead to him running for CAF president, should Motsepe step down to run for President of South Africa.
Meanwhile, the Senegal Football Federation (FSF) has opted to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) after being stripped of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) title.
The Federation condemned the decision to strip them of their title as “unjust, unprecedented and unacceptable,” arguing that such actions bring the entirety of African football into disrepute.
“To defend its rights and the interests of Senegalese football, the federation will, as soon as possible, file an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne,” it added. – AA and ONN reporters