The International Football Federation (FIFA) informed the Ivorian Federation (FIF) of the creation of a joint committee with the Confederation of African Football (CAF). It will be in charge of hearing the actors of the elections for the presidency of the FIF. FIFA had called for the suspension of the Ivorian electoral process, following possible “interference”.
The International Football Federation (FIFA) is continuing its work to oversee the election of the next president of the Ivorian Football Federation (FIF). One week after having requested the suspension of the electoral process at the FIF, FIFA decided to set up a committee to hear several actors of the electoral process.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) is involved in this process, said the head of the administration (General Secretary) of FIFA, Fatma Samoura, in a letter to the FIF, dated September 1.
FIFA indicates that it has received the documents claimed in its correspondence of August 27. It nevertheless wishes to hear the members of the Electoral Committee, including its president René Diby. The outgoing president of the Ivorian Federation, Sidy Diallo, and the other major figures of the FIF, are also asked to speak individually by videoconference. They will be heard by a panel comprising Rolf Tanner and Sarah Solémalé (FIFA), as well as two representatives of CAF and another from Zone B of the Union of West African Football Associations (UFOA).
The five members of this ad hoc committee will have to determine whether any shortcomings or errors were made during the process supposed to designate the successor of Sidy Diallo, in office since 2011 but highly disputed since 2017.
On August 26, the Electoral Commission set up by the FIF to study the files of the four applicants validated those of Sory Diabaté and Yacine Idriss Diallo but not those of Koffi Paul Kouadio and Didier Drogba.
The rejection of Drogba’s candidacy had immediately caused controversy, with the former African soccer superstar monopolizing much of the attention around this controversial election. Some of his sponsorships were not valid, had estimated a Commission visibly torn around the case of Didier Drogba. The entourage of the former attacker had nevertheless assured that his candidacy file had been validated on August 9. Before a series of reversals