SAFA’s delegates (Danny Jordaan, Lucas Nhlapo and Dennis Mumble) today participated in an Extraordinary Congress convened by CAF to approve significant changes to its Statutes..

SAFA’s delegates (Danny Jordaan, Lucas Nhlapo and Dennis Mumble) today participated in an Extraordinary Congress convened by CAF to approve significant changes to its Statutes in line with the governance reforms approved by FIFA earlier this year at a FIFA Congress in Mexico.

Significant additional language to develop women’s football to ensure the full participation of women in football governance was added to the revised CAF Statutes, marking a milestone in the empowerment of women in African football. African women now serve in the highest echelons of world football’s governing body. Lydia Nsekera and Fatma Samoura rank among the top leaders in the world governing body and CAF has pledged to do more to empower women in football.

Among the other changes to its Statutes, CAF approved:

  • A more independent football administration to prevent political interference in the management of the game on the continent;
  • Enshrined good governance, integrity and sportsmanship principles in its Statutes;
  • Enshrined the principles of ethics and fair play;
  • Respect for human rights recognized internationally;
  • Mandate all its Members to respect the principles of ethics and fair play, integrity and sportsmanship;
  • Added language to ensure clubs and leagues are subordinate to the national association;
  • A mandate to ensure that multiple clubs are not owned by a single entity;
  • The establishment of linguistic groupings (Anglophone, Francophone and Arabic/Portugese/Spanish);
  • Set a term limit of 3 terms for the CAF President and Executive Committee Members;
  • Changed all its continental age-group competition names to “Africa Cup of Nations”;

These changes were overwhelmingly approved by CAF Members, along with a revised Regulation Governing the Application of the Statutes.

SAFA is happy with the election of its friends, CAF’s 2nd Vice-President Almamy Kabele Camara and Ghana Football Association President Kwesi Nyantakyi, to the reformed FIFA Council. They will serve until March 2017. SAFA wishes them well in their new roles.