Now Togo also faces Fifa ban
Now Togo also faces Fifa ban
Posted: 2010-10-08 10:15
Following hard on the news that Fifa has banned Nigeria for government interference comes the disclosure that the Togo FA interim committee president General Séyi Mémène has resigned after the Head of State interfered in the body's elections.
Mémène resigned on Monday after Togo's President Faure Gnassingbé asked his body to put off a scheduled October 16 election of the FA's executive committee and fears are that Fifa will now also sanction the West African national.
The term of the Fifa-installed Interim Committee comes to an end mid-October, and preparations have been underway to elect a new FA president and an executive committee, with four aspirants already on list and campaigning ahead of October 16.
Gnassingbé summoned Mémène last week ordering him to cancel plans for the elections, according to reports. Mémène had explained the risk of sanctions from Fifa if the scheduled election did not hold, but to no avail.
In the confusion, Mémène had written to Fifa and CAF requesting for permission to postpone the vote, but Fifa said October 16 was non-negotiable, which left Mémène with no other option than resigning from Togo's highest football body.
Reasons for the President's demanding a halt to the electoral process were not clear, but analysts say it is a pure desire to control Togo's football from the top.
Fifa dissolved Togo's FA in December 2009 at the height of clannish clashes, and installed an interim committee to be headed by Mémène, who is also CAF's second vice president.
Comment on this article:
TERMS OF USE: The comments posted below do not reflect the views of KickOff.com. Users are reminded that no misuse of this comment facility will be tolerated. Any abusive, racist or inflammatory comments will be deleted and the user banned. Please report abusive posts to editor@kickoff.com