CAF general secretary quits amid AFCON final controversy

Veron Mosengo-Omba’s resignation follows the fallout over the CAF board’s decision to strip Senegal of the AFCON title, Africa’s showpiece football tournament.The Confederation of African Football (CAF)’s general secretary, Veron Mosengo-Omba, resigned on Sunday after repeated ⁠calls for his removal ⁠and at a turbulent time for the game on the continent.Mosengo-Omba said 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 (AFCON) title and calls for an investigation into alleged corruption at African football’s governing body.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Israeli footballer’s role in assault on southern Lebanon sparks outragelist 2 of 4Olympic gender test ‘a disrespect for women’, South Africa’s Semenya sayslist 3 of 4AFCON & CAF: Justice or Chaos?list 4 of 4Senegal appeal to CAS against handing over of AFCON title to Moroccoend of listThere 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,” Mosengo-Omba said in a statement.“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.Senegal won the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in January but were later stripped of the crown by the Confederation of African Football board [File: Amr Abdallah Dalsh/Reuters]Accused of creating toxic atmosphereMosengo-Omba ⁠has been a divisive figure at CAF, accused by some employees of creating a toxic atmosphere at the workplace, although an investigation conducted after the staff complaints cleared him of any wrongdoing.