Caf president Ahmad Ahmad was released about 10 hours after his arrest Thursday morning but will reportedly have to remain in France under house arrest.
Ahmad’s advisers, on the other hand, confirm otherwise saying he has his passport and can travel. He is scheduled to witness the opening ceremony of the Fifa Women’s World Cup before leaving Paris for Mali on Saturday to mediate in the crisis affecting the country’s football federation.
The Confederation of African Football (Caf) boss was detained and questioned by Officers from France’s Central Office for Combating Corruption and Financial and Tax Crimes (OCLCIFF) at the luxury Hotel de Berri where he was staying for the Fifa Congress along with Fifa Council colleagues.
While there has been no detail of any charges against Ahmad, who is not a French citizen but from Madagascar, the police investigation is believed to be linked to a contract broken by Ahmad with Puma in December 2017 and placed with French company Tactical Steel.
As first reported by Insideworldfootball, the Puma contract was worth €312,000 but cancelled in favour of Tactical Steel buying the same equipment for $1,195,603. Tactical Steel is run by Romuald Seilier, a close friend of Loïc Gerand, the personal attaché of Ahmad.
The deal with Tactical Steel did not end there. To date it is estimated the French company has invoiced Caf almost $3 million with a number of payments requested by Seilier to be routed through a Turkish company called Serin Hidrafat Ltd and its account with ING bank.
The French authorities are believed to be investigating non-payment of taxes and criminal conspiracy to avoid tax duties. Tactical Steel is registered as a company in France and based in La Seyne-sur-Mer.
Ahmad’s arrest, compounded a chaotic week of African football politics with the confederation ordering the second leg of the 2018/19 Champions League final to be replayed having originally awarded the title to Esperance after Wydad Casablanca walked off and refused to return to the pitch in protest against the non-working VAR system.
With that decision still sending shockwaves through African football, news that its president – already engulfed by multiple corruption and sexual harassment allegations – had been arrested sent further waves of distrust in Ahmad’s leadership throughout the continent.
