Fifa has selected a five-man independent committee to oversee the reformation of the Confederation of African Football (Caf) after a meeting held on Tuesday.
The gathering, which was the first between the bodies’ reform task force, was held at Caf’s headquarters in Cairo, Egypt.
Members included politicians, jurists and a former foreign minister of Mali. They are expected to quicken recommended changes at Africa’s governing body.
The appointees are Abdoulaye Diop (Mali), Hossam El Shafei (Egypt), Janet Katisya (Kenya), Martin Ngoga (Rwanda) and Anin Yeboah (Ghana).
After chairing the inaugural meeting, Fifa President Gianni Infantino gave the five-man group his full backing.
“If this Caf/Fifa cooperation succeeds African football will be even more envied around the world,” Infantino said in a statement.
“You members of the task force are the foundation from which the future of African football will be built. We count on your support, your passion & innovation.”
Caf President Ahmad Ahmad believes the intervention was necessary and hopes the committee will be successful.
“There are obstacles that we faced that resulted in our request for assistance. That's why we also need you, the independent experts. Together we will move forward,” Ahmad said in a statement on Caf’s website.
Also in attendance was Fifa general secretary Fatma Samoura who took over the administration of the continent’s governing body on August 1 after a series of irregularities in their management, as well as allegations of corruption against Ahmad.
Today an important event took place @CAF_Online HQ: 1st meeting of CAF-FIFA taskforce. It followed the Roadmap for CAF/FIFA Partnership, announced in June this year, following CAF’s request for support from FIFA to accelerate @CAF_Online’s ongoing reform process. pic.twitter.com/PzmIVrl7pq
— Fatma Samoura (@fatma_samoura) September 10, 2019
The joint roadmap of Fifa and Caf will cover three primary areas which include: financial management, good governance and internal procedures.
As stated by Caf on Wednesday, key discussions at the meeting centred on auditing, underlining transparency in all of Caf’s operations, the necessity for the highest standards of compliance, effective and professional organisation of competitions, growth and development of African football, as well as advancement and support for Caf’s 54 Member Associations.