Confederation of African Football (CAF) President Ahmad Ahmad fired deputy Amaju Pinnick just as global governing body FIFA was releasing details of a road map to put the crisis-hit organization back on its feet.
“I’ve changed my cabinet,” Ahmad told a news conference.
Pinnick released a statement saying his term was up and he agreed with the CAF president not to renew it.
But senior CAF sources told Reuters: “Pinnick was standing up to Ahmad and taking him on in many issues and Ahmad felt it right to get rid of him.”
Ahmad, who is being investigated by FIFA’s ethics committee for alleged corruption, sacked Pinnick, the president of the Nigerian Football Federation, at a hastily-assembled meeting of the CAF executive committee.
Ahmad tapped Constant Omari of the Democratic Republic of Congo to replace Pinnick as first vice president. Omari, a close Ahmad ally would likely replace Ahmad if he is removed as CAF president once FIFA has completed its probe.
FIFA is currently sharing administrative control of African football with CAF and has sent its Senegalese Secretary-General, Fatma Samoura, on a ninth-month secondment to overhaul the African body.
