Karia on the spot over $20,000 CAF payment

Karia on the spot over $20,000 CAF payment

What you need to know:

  • The statement explained that Karia directed $20,000 to be used for various TFF activities following financial challenges that faced the body. This is due to the fact that the cash was for his personal football duties

Dar es Salaam. The Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) has refuted claims that its president Wallace Karia is involved in the grounds that were used by the world soccer governing body (Fifa) to suspend Confederation of African Football (Caf) president Ahmad Ahmad for five years.

There was a document (Reuters article published on April 15, 2019) that went viral yesterday, claiming that Fifa’s investigations committee found out that Ahmad ordered his secretary general to pay $20,000 (Sh46.4 million) bribes into the accounts of presidents of African football associations including Cape Verde and Tanzania.

According to the TFF statement issued yesterday, in May 2017 Caf endorsed that each of its affiliate member (TFF included) be given US dollars 100,000 (Sh232 million).

The country’s football governing body’s statement further said that $80,000 out of $100,000 would be used for football development while the remaining $20,000 would be used by TFF’s president for his various football duties, despite the fact that he has no monthly salary.

The statement explained that Karia directed $20,000 to be used for various TFF’s activities following the financial challenges that faced the body.

“The matter was clarified in April, this year, that the said money was not stashed into Karia’s personal account as it was claimed,” said the statement.

The statement also said Fifa’s ethics committee statement, which imposed ban on Ahmad, did not say about $20,000 to be paid to African football governing bodies’ presidents and the world football governing body vowed to take legal action against those circulating the fake news against their bodies and officials.

For his part, Karia told The Citizen yesterday that there were so-called football stakeholders wanting to tarnish the good image of their leadership...

“We will not back down on football, but we will continue to make the country’s football develop,” said Karia.

Fifa announced on Monday to suspend Ahmad for corruption, a decision that shows how some football leaders lack integrity. Ahmad, from Madagascar, had been Caf president since March 2017 and was planning to stand for re-election in 2021 when Fifa banned him on “governance issues”.

In their statement, Fifa said Ahmad had “breached his duty of loyalty, offered gifts and other benefits, mismanaged funds and abused his position as the Caf President.”

Ahmad has also been fined 200,000 Swiss francs (Sh510.3m) by Fifa for the misdeeds.

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By Imani Makongoro @TheCitizenTZ [email protected]