CAF have alleged expenses of close to $16m in expenses missing as per their latest round of accounts by the governing body.
CAF audit and compliance committee has claimed that more than $16m (£12m) of “unrecognised expenses” were not included in official accounts.
The apparent disparity in the books for the year ending June 30, 2023, was allegedly discovered through a review of a report prepared by the external auditors, EY, according to a letter issued to members of Caf’s executive committee last Saturday and obtained by the Guardian.
That includes almost $12m (£9m) for “technical costs not allocated to clubs, federations and host countries”, with the remainder corresponding to “unrecorded expenses that should be accrued and recorded” and “unrecognised provision for debt balances” and “other debit balances”.
According to calculations made by the audit and compliance committee, the $16.18 million that remains unaccounted for would increase Caf’s annual deficit to $25.43 million. Earlier this year, losses of $9.25 million were made public. Véron Mosengo-Omba, general secretary of Caf, had mentioned the lower number in July as proof that the company was paying down debt. In March 2021, Mosengo-Omba inherited a about £30 million deficit. “It will be zero for the upcoming fiscal year,” he declared.
When the Guardian asked Caf and Mosengo-Omba for comments, neither one replied.
In a related development, Mosengo-Omba and his office are the subject of a continuing inquiry after the head of Caf’s governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) division claimed that they had violated internal governance and auditing standards in addition to “impeding” the performance of department members.
The audit and compliance committee stated last month that because Mosengo-Omba had hired the external auditor, there had been “unauthorised interference” from him.
In a letter to national associations last week, Mosengo-Omba—who has also refuted accusations of dishonest management, fraud, and document forgery in Switzerland—confirmed that Caf will raise the age limit for potential executive committee members by five years to 70 at its general assembly the following week.
Additionally, it offered potential candidates until November 12th to declare their desire to run for president the next year. Hany Abo Rida, a 71-year-old Egyptian who serves on the Fifa council, is one of the contenders anticipated to challenge the current president, Patrice Motsepe. March is when the vote is most likely to happen.