BANNED Caf president, Ahmad Ahmad, is fighting back against his five-year sanction from all football-related matters.
The sentence was issued this week by Fifa’s Ethics Committee which found him guilty of having flouted a number of its ethics and thus banned from the sport, and fined for having improperly accepted bribes as gifts.
But the Malagasy has put on his boxing gloves and is taking Fifa to the Court of Arbitration on Sport (Cas), arguing that his sanction wasn’t rendered in a fair and impartial manner.
Ahmad was nominated by a few federations in Africa who want him to run for a second term as Caf president.
The elections are set for 12 March next year and this is another bone of contention for Ahmad who said the sentence was well-timed to stop him from running for re-election.
“During months of investigation conducted by the Ethics Committee, headed by Maria Claudia Rojas, against Caf and its president, many surprising procedures have been noted,” Ahmad said in a statement.
He’s also cried foul and blamed Fifa’s committee for “leaks of information relating to the ongoing procedure – which is supposed to be strictly confidential – and systematically unfavourable to Ahmad and made public through the press”.
“As a result, the facts were presented in a highly questionable manner by the Investigatory Chamber to the adjudicatory of Fifa’s Ethics Committee,” hee said.
“Moreover, the latter hastened to issue an urgent and enforceable decision, without providing grounds for the sentence. The reason for such haste could be that this sentence would prevent Ahmad from being re-elected to the CAF presidency... despite the many supporters already declared in his favour.”
Ahmed said the appeal will be made before the Cas to challenge this “incomprehensive and shocking decision”.
Furthermore, he will request for the stay of the decision, so as not to aggravate the prejudice he is suffering and allow him to campaign for his re-election.
