The General Secretary of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Veron Mosengo-Omba, has announced his resignation, stepping down during a tumultuous period for the continent's football governing body. His departure coincides with a crisis of confidence at CAF, stemming from controversial decisions to strip Senegal of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title and postpone the women's tournament at the last minute.

In a statement on Sunday, Mosengo-Omba alluded to the controversies faced during his tenure, saying, "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." Despite this, the 66-year-old official had faced criticism for remaining in his role past CAF's mandatory retirement age of 63. He was also accused by some employees of fostering a toxic workplace atmosphere, although an investigation following staff complaints cleared him of any wrongdoing.

Mosengo-Omba, a native of the Democratic Republic of Congo who also holds Swiss nationality, was appointed General Secretary in March 2021. According to Reuters news agency, CAF's Competitions Director, Samson Adamu, will take over as acting General Secretary. Meanwhile, the governing body is awaiting a decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Senegal's appeal against being stripped of the AFCON title.

Senegal is challenging CAF's appeals body for overturning their 1-0 victory over hosts Morocco in the January AFCON final. During the match, Senegal's players left the field in protest when Morocco was awarded a stoppage-time penalty with the score at 0-0. After a delay of about 17 minutes, they returned, Morocco failed to score the penalty, and Senegal netted an extra-time winner. Following an appeal by the Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF), CAF later ruled that Senegal had forfeited the match, awarding Morocco a 3-0 victory.

Source: www.bbc.com