Veron Mosengo-Omba, the general secretary of African soccer’s CAF governing body, has resigned amid the fallout from the controversial 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final.
Mosengo-Omba (pictured, right), deputy to CAF president Patrice Motsepe, announced his decision to step down yesterday after five years in the role.
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He departs during a chaotic period for CAF after the organization’s appeals body recently stripped Senegal of the 2025 AFCON title for walking off the pitch.
Senegal is challenging the ruling and has filed an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport after its 1-0 win over hosts Morocco in January's final was overturned in an off-field decision earlier this month.
During the game, Senegal's players left the field in protest when, with the score at 0-0, hosts Morocco were awarded a stoppage-time penalty.
When they returned after a delay of about 17 minutes, Morocco subsequently failed to score the spot-kick and Senegal instead netted an extra-time winner.
Following an appeal by the Moroccan FA (FRMF), CAF later ruled that Senegal had forfeited the match and Morocco was subsequently awarded a 3-0 victory.
Mosengo-Omba’s tenure as general secretary has also not been without personal controversy.
Last year, the 66-year-old avoided legal action in Switzerland over alleged suspicious financial activities, after the Swiss Public Prosecutors' Office declined to open proceedings against him.
An investigation had initially been launched in October 2024 over allegations that he had received suspicious payments relating to certain Swiss bank accounts; however, the Swiss Public Prosecutors' Office found no basis to bring charges against him.
Mosengo-Omba, who hails from the Democratic Republic of Congo but also holds Swiss nationality, had also been criticised for staying on as general secretary past the organisation's mandatory retirement age of 63 and accused by some employees of creating a toxic atmosphere in the workplace, although an investigation into those latter complaints cleared him of any wrongdoing.
He alluded to controversies faced during his tenure in his statement on Sunday, saying: “Now that I have been able to dispel the suspicions that some people have gone to great lengths to cast on me, I can retire with peace of mind and without constraint, leaving the CAF more prosperous than ever.”
CAF announced that Mosengo-Omba will be replaced on an interim basis by competitions director Samson Adamu, “while the process to appoint a permanent general secretary is undertaken.”
The fallout from the AFCON final and Mosengo-Omba's resignation comes just weeks after CAF postponed the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) just 12 days before its scheduled start, citing “unforeseen circumstances."
The tournament, which will be hosted in Morocco, was due to run from March 17 through April 3, but will now be pushed back until later in the year, with a new start date set as July 25, with the final set for August 16.
Meanwhile, the flagship AFCON national teams tournament is set to expand from 24 teams to 28, CAF president Motsepe has revealed.
The announcement was made at a press conference following an executive committee meeting, but Motsepe did not explain how the format would work with four extra teams, nor when it would be implemented.
The last four editions of AFCON have featured 24 teams, having been increased from 16 in 2019.
CAF also recently announced that AFCON, currently held every two years, will become a quadrennial affair after the 2027 edition.
After the 2027 tournament, which Motsepe insisted will take place as planned across Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, the new concept will begin in 2028, with the AFCON held once every four years thereafter.
While AFCON typically accounts for 80% of CAF’s overall revenue, and the continent’s soccer calendar revolves around the tournament’s qualification process, the changes will bring CAF competitions in line with the global FIFA calendar.
To make up for the shortfall in both revenue and football fixtures caused by the move to a four-year CAF cycle, the body has also announced the establishment of a new seasonal Nations League tournament that will fill the gaps with competitive soccer.
Emulating the existing UEFA Nations League concept, the CAF edition will begin in 2029, and take place annually, with all 54 CAF members participating in the FIFA-standard international break slots.
