African football manager accused of 'whitewashing' report on his conduct | Football

Confederation of African Football Secretary General Véron Mosengo-Omba could be suspended after being accused of “whitewashing” an investigation into allegations of serious misconduct against him.

The cafe's audit and compliance committee alleged there had been “unauthorized interference” by Mosengo-Omba in a report on his conduct because the external auditor was appointed by him.

Last month, the cafe launched an investigation into Mosengo-Omba and his office after the head of governance, risk and compliance (GRC) accused them of “obstructing” members of her department from carrying out their duties and violating internal governance and auditing regulations, among other allegations.

CAF said its audit and compliance committee would appoint an independent international law firm or accounting and consulting firm to investigate. Committee chairman Patrice Motsepe promised that “appropriate action will be taken immediately if any inappropriate conduct or behavior is identified.”

When external auditor EY submitted a report, it rejected the committee's report. In a report seen by the Guardian, it said it could not “provide reasonable assurance about the accuracy of the opening balances for the relevant period”.

The committee said it was “surprised to receive a so-called 'draft report of the Audit and Compliance Committee'” on the CAF's legal director. “The committee learned that this 'draft report', which it is supposed to validate, was prepared by an external consultant recruited by the CAF Secretariat without informing the Commission and without obtaining its prior approval,” it said.

An EY consultant presented her report at a meeting on September 7, but members of the Audit and Compliance Committee decided that it was “drafted in a manner that contradicts all of the allegations contained in the GRC's confidential report.”

They said: “The Committee is convinced that this work is designed to whitewash parties, to the detriment of others affected by the ongoing independent investigation. By appointing an external consultant to interfere in the work of the Committee without our consent, the CAF Secretariat is violating the principle of independence of our Committee and exceeding its statutory powers in this regard.”

The committee's report also accused its deputy chair, Mouhamed Nour-Dine Assindoh, of voting with the adviser on her report without his consent. It called for Assindoh to be suspended from the committee until the end of his term in June 2027 and for Caf to take the “necessary decisions” regarding Mosengo-Omba. The committee is understood to consider the suspension of Mosengo-Omba an appropriate first step. Neither Caf nor Mosengo-Omba responded to repeated requests for comment from the Guardian.

Mosengo-Omba wrote on X in July: “My efforts to restore order to this institution, which has at times been disrespected, are being sabotaged by a report that has emerged out of the blue, containing complaints without documented evidence. The planned independent investigation will expose the falsity and origin of this report.”

At a Caf executive committee meeting in Nairobi last week, Motsepe insisted that the Audit and Compliance Commission's investigation into Mosengo-Omba could proceed without interference. “Nobody is going to tell them how to do their job,” he said. “They are independent.”

Caf was embarrassed when a livestream of the normally confidential board meeting in the Kenyan capital accidentally appeared on YouTube. The stream was deleted after Motsepe openly questioned the integrity of some board members. “You are not my friend and you are not helping me if you are not honest with me,” he said.

A proposal to raise the age limit of 70 for future Executive Committee members by five years was passed unanimously, a move likely to prompt 71-year-old Egyptian FIFA Council member Hany Abo Rida to announce his candidacy against Motsepe in next year's elections.