Algeria’s Football Chief Loses CAF Election, Highlighting Diplomatic Shortcomings

In North Africa (UNAF), Djahid Zefizef, president of the Algerian Football Federation (FAF), lost against the Libyan Abdulhakim Alshelmani during the elections of the new members of the CAF Executive Committee held on the sidelines of the 45th Ordinary General Assembly of the body held in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. This annoyed the sports commentator, Hafid Derradji. "Who would have thought that winning a seat on the FIFA or CAF board depended primarily on the diplomacy of the country to which the candidate belongs?" he wonders in a Facebook post. And to comment: "Let them know that the winner today of the seat on the CAF Executive Board at the expense of the Algerian Djahid Zefizef is the Libyan Abdul Hakim Al-Shalmani, whose country has been suffering from a political and security crisis for years. He passed thanks to his skill in obtaining 38 votes against 15 votes for the representative of Algeria."

To reverse the trend, Algeria should be inspired by Moroccan sports diplomacy, which has less means than Qatar and Saudi Arabia, which have recorded many successes, TSA Algerie tries to recommend. To support its argument, the Algerian site recalls that the kingdom "has invested a lot in sports diplomacy by forging partnerships with many African federations integrating aspects such as training, hosting training camps for national teams or even aid for the construction of sports infrastructure." A diplomacy that also makes Fouzi Lekjaa, president of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF), an influential member of CAF.