FIFA intends to impose a “normalization committee” to put an end to the soap opera of the election to the presidency of the Ivorian Football Federation (FIF). Which appealed against this decision.
The Ivorian Football Federation (FIF) and the International Federation (FIFA) keep opposing each other. The first will file its third appeal since 2020 against a decision of the second, while the internal quarrels within the FIF are not going in the direction of a serene renewal of its management teams.
Main cause, the chair of president of the Ivorian Federation, which three candidates contend for: Sory Diabaté, Idriss Diallo (former vice-presidents of the FIF) and Didier Drogba (former international).
The FIF has just appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (TAS) to challenge its placing under supervision by FIFA.
The FIF Executive Committee declares that it has “taken the decision to exercise all avenues of appeal before CAS” against this decision taken by FIFA on 24 December.” After analyzing this decision, the Executive Committee concluded that the motives behind it were fallacious and impertinent, said a statement that did not bother with diplomacy.
For several months, the candidacy of Didier Drogba in particular has caused a stir. This former champion – also a businessman – had his candidacy invalidated by the FIF.
According to its press release “The electoral commission rejects the candidacy of Mr. Drogba Tébily Didier Yves”, concludes in its article 5 the decision of the commission which accuses the former international of several breaches of the conditions of eligibility.
Faced with an electoral process that only led to tensions, FIFA blocked the election in August before hearing all the players the following month.
To lead, a few months later, with the announcement of a “standardization committee”. Which “will manage the day-to-day affairs of the Ivorian federation and partially revise the statutes and the electoral code of the FIF in order to ensure their compliance”, according to the FIFA press release.
This committee will act as “the electoral commission for the organization of the election of a new Executive Committee of the FIF”, continues FIFA.
What is the position of the state!
A guardianship that goes badly, Ivorian side. “The International Federation imposes a standardization committee on us. That does not make sense. It is a plot against Ivorian football”, reacted the ex-international Oumar Ben Salah winner with the national team of the Ivory Coast “The Elephants “of the CAN 1992. We, the actors of the Ivorian football, we do not understand anything in this decision which has the sole aim of killing our football,” he declared.
To justify this decision, FIFA explained that “the governing bodies of Ivorian football have not succeeded in organizing an electoral procedure in accordance with the statutory and regulatory requirements applicable to all member associations”.
This decision is also explained by the death, on November 21, of Augustin Sidy Diallo, outgoing president of the FIF, but who did not stand for re-election after two terms, and who was responsible for day-to-day business.
For its part, the Ivorian government can only bow. “If there had been no internal bickering, FIFA would not have stepped in to force normalization on us,” said a sports ministry official, explaining his thoughts on the move. “We never wanted that decision, but it happened. Let us take advantage of this normalization to recreate fraternity and silence all our quarrels,” he continued.
Beyond personal affairs, the stakes are high for all of African football. Indeed, the Ivory Coast must host CAN 2023. On this point, the information is rather reassuring.
A delegation from the African Football Confederation (CAF) visited the various infrastructures (stadiums, training grounds, hotels). “It emerges that the various projects should be completed before the announced deadlines,” CAF said.
In October, the Ivory Coast inaugurated the first stadium built especially for this competition, that of Ebimpé, north of Abidjan.
Reference: https://goodwordnews.com/fifa-places-the-ivorian-football-federation-under-supervision/
