The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) announced Thursday, December 24 the placement under supervision of the Ivorian Football Federation (FIF), plunged into a succession crisis. “The FIFA council office has decided to appoint a standardization committee for the Ivorian football federation”, whose members will be “Designated by FIFA and the African Football Confederation” (CAF), indicates the international sports body in a press release.
“This standardization committee will manage the current affairs of the Ivorian federation [et] will partially revise the statutes and electoral code of the FIF in order to ensure their compliance ”, according to the press release. “This situation results from the fact that the governing bodies of Ivorian football have not succeeded in organizing an electoral procedure in accordance with the statutory and regulatory requirements applicable to all FIFA member associations”, explains FIFA. The standardization committee will act as “Electoral commission for the organization of the election of a new Executive Committee of the FIF”, continues FIFA.
“Conspiracy against Ivorian football”
The FIF, plunged for six months into a succession dispute for the post of president sought by Didier Drogba, announced Monday evening, December 21, to seize the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against a FIFA decision to block the election process . After the rejection of the candidacy of former star Didier Drogba, FIFA blocked the process in August, then auditioned all the players in September.
“The international federation imposes a standardization committee on us. It does not make sense. It is a plot against Ivorian football. We, the players in Ivorian football, do not understand anything in this decision which has the sole aim of killing our football ”, reacted to Agence France-Presse (AFP) the former Ivorian international Oumar Ben Salah.
Despite his immense popularity in Côte d’Ivoire, the support of many former partners such as Eugène Diomandé, the brothers Yaya and Kolo Touré as well as several personalities, Didier Drogba, the former Marseille and Chelsea striker, who has also long carried the Ivorian selection on his shoulders, had seen his candidacy invalidated.
The outgoing president of the FIF, Augustin Sidy Diallo, who did not stand for re-election after two terms and had been in charge of current affairs since August, died on November 21.
