CAF President:  Big Role for Ex-footballers at CAF Nonnegotiable

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The new leader for African football Ahmad Ahmad has underlined a major policy shift for the continent by insisting that retired footballers will be an integral part of his administration for football development.

The President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) says footballers will no longer be treated like outsiders by the continent’s governing body as was previously the case.

The Madagascar national, who took over the reigns of African football eight months ago after his shock electoral victory over Issa Hayatou, is taking the continent through major reforms to help accelerate the development of the game on the continent.

One major ambition of Ahmad is to ensure that former footballers play key roles in these reforms and has already delivered on his promise by appointing ex-Ghana star Anthony Baffoe as the Deputy General Secretary of CAF.

The appointment of the former defender is the first major appointment for an ex-player in the history of CAF, marking a massive change in CAF direction with footballers playing key roles.

Ahmad’s attendance at this year’s edition of International Federation of Professional Footballers (FIFPro) Congress on Wednesday, 6 December 2017, in Cairo, Egypt, the first for a CAF president underscored his commitment to engaging footballers.

He reiterated his commitment to making retired footballers use their experiences and knowledge to foster football development across the continent, having used some of the African legends in a symposium in Morocco three months to redefine the course of the game on the continent.

“Since my election in Ethiopia in March of this year, our confederation has given footballers a bigger and bigger place by inviting legends that have marked the history of African football at the symposium held in Morocco to define our vision of football for the continent,” the CAF President Ahmad said the FIFPro Congress.

“You brought your know-how and experience which allowed us to make resolutions to develop African football for at least the next decade,” he added.

The CAF president said that football players, the main players in the game given their high experience, had a role to play in within the big family of African football.

Moreover, Ahmad Ahmad suggested that FIFPro Africa establish the Best XI of Africa at the CAF Awards, like the FIFPro World XI, which, with Fifa, designates the Best World XI, to reward the best African players in the world and on the continent.

The FIFPro congress brought together, in the Egyptian capital, representatives of its various directorates, Africa, America, Asia / Oceania and Europe.

During the congress, former Cameroonian midfielder Geremi Njitap was named vice president of the world organization.

Philippe Piat of France was re-elected president for another four-year term.

Ghanasoccernet

 

 

 

 

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