The general secretary of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Veron Mosengo-Omba, has resigned amid a chaotic time for football on the continent.
In a statement, he mentioned that he was retiring, but his departure comes during the fallout over decisions to strip Senegal of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title for 2025 and to postpone the women's tournament at the last minute.
These incidents have left CAF battling a significant crisis of confidence. Mosengo-Omba acknowledged the controversies of his tenure, stating, Now that I have been able to dispel the suspicions that some people have gone to great lengths to cast on me, I can retire with peace of mind and without constraint, leaving the CAF more prosperous than ever.
His 66 years of age surpassed the mandatory retirement age of 63 for CAF officials, leading to criticism of his continued role. Allegations of creating a toxic workplace atmosphere were made by some employees, though an investigation cleared him of any wrongdoing.
Originally appointed general secretary in March 2021, Mosengo-Omba holds dual nationality from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Switzerland. Following his resignation, CAF's competitions director, Samson Adamu, will take over as acting general secretary.
CAF is also awaiting a decision from the Court of Arbitration for Sport regarding Senegal's appeal against being stripped of their AFCON title. The Senegalese team is challenging a ruling that classified their match against Morocco, where they had initially won 1-0, as a forfeit, awarding Morocco a 3-0 victory instead.
Interestingly, during the contested match, Senegal's players had protested the awarding of a stoppage-time penalty to Morocco. Although Morocco failed to convert the penalty, Senegal later scored an extra-time goal to win the match.
