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CAIRO (Reuters) – FIFA President Gianni Infantino said on Wednesday that the unprecedented decision to intervene and jointly administer African football with the CAF regional federation "will significantly improve "the sport on the continent.
Infantino also dismissed suggestions that there was widespread opposition to allegations of corruption against CAF President Ahmad Ahmad.
FIFA sends Senegalese Secretary General Fatma Samoura, seconded for the ninth month of August, to revamp the chaotic CAF.
Infantino attended a meeting of the CAF Executive Committee on Wednesday where an 11-point plan was presented to members.
The plan's suggestions, as seen by Reuters, included possible changes to the CAF competition format, an arbitration review, and a task force to improve stadium security.
Other issues discussed included a review of CAF judicial organs, full transparency of cash flows and the implementation of good governance principles.
"What matters is that we decide to cooperate, that the highest FIFA executive comes to work with CAF (…) to improve African football significantly," said Infantino to the press. .
"It's a question of democracy, we take into account all the comments from everyone and together we try to do our best, the only thing I ask is to judge on the results and not on speculation. "
In March, CAF Secretary General Amr Fahmy sent Ahmad back to the FIFA Ethics Committee.
New allegations of fraud have recently been brought against Ahmad, who was arrested and questioned by the French authorities in June as part of a corruption investigation.
Ahmad denied having committed wrongdoing in several media interviews, but did not respond to Reuters' repeated requests to comment on the charges against him.
FIFA has confirmed the opening of an investigation into the ethics of Ahmad, which however has not been suspended.
The return leg of the African Champions League final was dropped in May due to the lack of this technology when it was to be used.
When the referee refused an effort from Wydad Casablanca, he stood up to protest that VAR had not been consulted even though he had been told before the match that the system was not operational.
Esperance, their Tunisian opponent, was declared champion at the start, but then the CAF turned around and ordered a restart. Both clubs have since appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), asking to be declared champions.
The current Africa Cup of Nations was only awarded to Egypt in January, after the original organizers, Cameroon, lost the right to compete. 39, organize the tournament.
CAF Vice President Amaju Pinnick said it was wrong to say that FIFA was taking over.
"We want to change the story of a takeover to a partnership and a collaboration," he said. "People simply feel that they are taking power, but that is not the case.
"Basically, it is about strengthening our judicial system, our governance and our fiscal discipline … its pure collaboration."
(Report by Brian Homewood, edited by Ed Osmond)
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