The general secretary of the Confederation of African Football (Caf), Veron Mosengo-Omba, has announced his resignation during a chaotic period for football governance on the continent.
In a statement, he indicated a desire to retire, but his resignation follows recent turmoil surrounding Caf's controversial decision to strip Senegal of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) title, alongside the last-minute postponement of the women's tournament.
These controversies have resulted in a crisis of confidence for Caf, the governing body for African football. In his resignation statement, Mosengo-Omba acknowledged the difficulties faced during his tenure.
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, he explained. Mosengo-Omba, who served as deputy to Caf president Patrice Motsepe, is 66 years old and has faced criticism for remaining in his role past the organization’s stipulated retirement age of 63.
Amid accusations from some employees of fostering a toxic work environment, an investigation failed to find any wrongdoing on his part. Mosengo-Omba, who holds both Congolese and Swiss nationalities, was appointed general secretary in March 2021.
Following his departure, Samson Adamu, Caf's competitions director, will assume the role of acting general secretary. Caf now awaits a decision from the Court of Arbitration for Sport regarding Senegal's appeal against the ruling stripping the nation of its Afcon title.
Senegal’s appeal is focused on Caf’s reversal of their 1-0 win over Morocco in the Afcon final last month, a match where Senegal's players protested after Morocco was awarded a stoppage-time penalty. Upon returning to the pitch after an extended delay, Senegal scored the winning goal in extra time. However, an appeal by the Moroccan Football Association led Caf to rule that Senegal had forfeited the game, granting Morocco a 3-0 victory.
