The Confederation of African Football (Caf) has ruled that just two of the five candidates for March’s presidential elections are eligible so far – with President Ahmad not among them.

The Malagasy has been ‘declared ineligible’ given his five-year Fifa ban, although his camp have slim hopes an ongoing appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) could change this.

Both former Ivory Coast football federation president Jacques Anouma and current Senegal FA president Augustin Senghor have been authorised to contest the March elections in Morocco.

Further checks are required before either Mauritania FA president Ahmed Yahya and Patrice Motsepe, the South African who owns Mamelodi Sundowns, can be added to the list of candidates.

“The committee considered that further checks are necessary before a final decision,” a Caf statement said. “To this end, a hearing of these candidates will be organised in Cairo on 28 January.”

The committee also authorised a total of 13 candidates to take part in the elections for the Executive Committee, with a further three needing additional verifications.

Authorised candidates:

• Wadie Jary (Tunisia)
• Mustapha Ishola Raji (Liberia)
• Djibrilla Hima Hamidou (Niger)
• Edwin Simeon- Okraku (Ghana)
• Adoum Djibrine (Chad)
• Suleiman Waberi (Djibouti)
• Isayas Jira (Ethiopia)
• Feizal Ismael Sidat (Mozambique)
• Elvis Raja Chetty (Seychelles)
• Maclean Cortez Letshwithi (Botswana)
• Kanizat Ibrahim (Comoros)
• Patricia Rajeriarison (Madagascar)
• Lawson Hogban-Latré-Kayti Edzona (Togo)

Candidates requiring additional verifications:

• Mamadou Antonio Souaré (Guinea)
• Seidou Mbombo Njoya (Cameroun)
• Arthur De Almeida E. Silva (Angola)

In addition the for candidates for the Fifa Council are subject to eligibility checks carried out by football’s world governing body and those decisions will be announced in due course.

Soka25east.com