Veron Mossengo-Omba, General Secretary, Confederation of African Football(CAF), on Sunday resigned after five years as the deputy head of African soccer’s governing body.
The Swiss-Congolese official, who left FIFA to take over as CAF general secretary in 2021, however, said he was stepping down “to devote myself to more personal projects.”
Thefrontrank reports that the Nigerian Football Federation said Samson Adamu was taking over as acting general secretary.
Mossengo-Omba explained that he was retiring but his departure comes amid a crisis of confidence in the organisation’s leadership, with a growing fallout over the decision to strip Senegal of the Africa Cup of Nations title and calls for an investigation into alleged corruption at African football’s governing body.
There has been a swell of recent criticism of his staying on as general secretary well past the organisation’s mandatory retirement age of 63, largely on social media but also from members of CAF’s executive committee.
“After over 30 years of an international professional career dedicated to promoting an ideal form of football that brings people together, educates, and creates opportunities for hope, I have decided to step down from my position as Secretary General of CAF to devote myself to more personal projects.
“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.
“I sincerely thank the CAF’s President Dr. Patrice Motsepe, my teams, and all those who, directly or indirectly, have enabled CAF and organised African football to make real and remarkable progress. Let us hope that the progress made will last and be sustained,” he concluded.
Mossengo-Omba has been a divisive figure at CAF, accused by some employees of creating a toxic atmosphere at the workplace, although an investigation after staff complaints cleared him of any wrongdoing.
The 66-year-old is of Congolese origin but a Swiss citizen and former FIFA employee who was a university friend of FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
Although he said he was retiring, Mossengo-Omba is expected to run for the post of president of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s football federation in elections in the coming months, sources disclosed.
