• Among the allegations are claims Ahmad forced CAF to buy sportswear through a French company rather than directly from manufacturers and at inflated prices.
• Fifa is asking the French authorities for any information that might be relevant to investigations taking place within its Ethics Committee - Fifa.
Confederation of African Football president Ahmad Ahmad was yesterday questioned by French authorities in Paris, world football’s governing body Fifa has said.
Ahmad, a former Malagasy cabinet minister, had been reported last month to Fifa’s ethics committee for alleged corruption and sexual harassment by CAF general secretary Amr Fahmy, who was then fired.
Among the allegations are claims Ahmad forced CAF to buy sportswear through a French company rather than directly from manufacturers and at inflated prices.
“Fifa is unaware of the details surrounding this investigation and is therefore not in a position to make any comment on it specifically,” Fifa said in a statement. “Fifa is asking the French authorities for any information that might be relevant to investigations taking place within its Ethics Committee.”
Meanwhile, the second leg of the African Champions League final will be replayed after the original fixture was abandoned and the match awarded to Esperance after opponents Wydad Casablanca left the pitch following a disputed decision.
The Confederation of African Football’s executive committee, meeting in Paris on the fringes of the Fifa congress, decided on Wednesday to re-stage the match at a neutral ground in a decision that could spark an immediate legal challenge.
Wydad Casablanca refused to play on after having a 59th-minute effort disallowed in the return leg of the final in Tunis last Friday.
The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system was not working and after a delay of almost two hours, the match was awarded to home side Esperance, who were handed the trophy and winners’ medals.
The first leg in Casablanca on May 25 ended 1-1 and Esperance were 1-0 up in the return a week later when Wydad thought they had equalised only for the referee to signal for offside.
That sparked protests that continued for around 90 minutes before the game was eventually called off in scenes that bordered on the farcical, with even the CAF president Ahmad coming down to the side of the pitch to try and resolve the matter without success.