From a humble beginning in 1957, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has grown into a notable organisation with the membership of 54 football association. The confederation of African Football is also responsible for the organization of the major competitions within Africa.
CAF was a trailblazing pan-Africanist institution in the era of independence. It was one of FIFA's six continental confederations, essentially the ruling body of the game in Africa. Its main aims were to organize international tournaments and to advance the interests of Africa in world football. In sporting terms, CAF's most important task was to organize the African Nations Cup. The first Nations Cup took place at the time of CAF's official launch in Khartoum in 1957, three years before the inaugural European Nations Cup. French, English, and Arabic were made the official languages of CAF. The independence of sixteen African nations in 1960 increased the size of both CAF and the African Nations Cup.
Formation
The Confederation of African Football began its formation at the 29th FIFA Congress in Bern, Switzerland, in June 1954. Africa was represented at the Congress by four national associations: Egypt, who had joined FIFA in 1923; Sudan affiliated in 1948; Ethiopia in 1953 and South Africa in 1910 and 1952.
It was at that Congress that Africa was recognized as a zonal group, with a right to have for the first time a representative on the FIFA Executive Committee. This representation was taken up by Engineer Abdel Aziz Abdallah Salem of Egypt.
It was not an easy task to get this recognition, as Argentina been against the seats given to Africa and Asia arguing that the standard of football in these continents was not good enough, despite the fact that, at the previous Congress in Paris in 1953, it was agreed that Africa would be given the right to be represented subsequently. Africa's position was supported by the four Home Nations and the eastern countries, giving a vote of 24-17 in their favor: the Congress then elected Abdel Aziz Abdallah Salem to represent Africa on the Executive Committee until a confederation was founded. Then, the African delegation agreed to meet in Lisbon in 1956 on the occasion of the FIFA Congress to realize the project.
Due to the Ethiopian Football Federation's lack of funds, Ydnekatchew Tessema was unable to travel to the historic 1954 FIFA Congress in Bern, which recognized Africa as a FIFA zone. The other African members were represented, not only in Bern, but at the 1956 Lisbon Congress as well.
South African apartheid issue
A committee was also set up to look into the case of South Africa, who run two separate federations the oldest run by only whites while the other recognized (sp) the other races. The rise of apartheid in 1948 had opened another front in the struggle against racism and segregation in colonial sport. The popularity of football in black communities arose from conditions present throughout colonial Africa: economic expansion, massive urban growth, and access to Western education, albeit for a small minority. During the 1950s, black athletes, organizers, and nationalists fought a long struggle with the entrenched white interests reinforced by apartheid. The first were organized in the South African Soccer Federation (SASF), while the second were represented by the South African Football Association (SAFA). Internationally, the Federation fought a bitter struggle for recognition within FIFA. FIFA ending up denying the Federation's membership application because it did not include whites. South Africa was suspended from FIFA in 1961 and remained isolated from the world of football until 1992 (except for a one-year reprieve in 1963).
Established five years before the Organization of African Unity, and the famous Rivonia Trial that passed life sentences on Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu, Govan Mbeki and other black South African activists; the African football Confederation was the first International Organization to dare say no to then very strong Apartheid, as far back as 1957. At this point in history; Apartheid was acceptable both to the International Olympic Committee and to FIFA. The two heavy weight Global Sports Institutions thus labeled the unprecedented stand of the young Confederation, as one of, "mixing politics with sports". Subsequently, FIFA told the Confederation that it had no right to expel a member association of FIFA, and instructed immediate reinstatement of Apartheid South Africa. The new Confederation did not only refuse to comply, but, demanded that FIFA itself expel the racist association from membership.
This first confrontation, which could have easily caused the early withdrawal of the three African member associations, subsided briefly, when FIFA under the Presidency of Englishman Arthur Drewry promised to review the African position. However, it relapsed again, after a three-man fact finding mission led by the newly elected president, Sir Stanley Rous, traveled to South Africa, and concluded that the National Football Federation had nothing to do with Government instituted Racial Discrimination. The controversial recommendation of this delegation to readmit the South African Federation was adopted at the FIFA Congress in Cairo 1963.
The African delegation at the Congress in Lisbon, were Abdel Aziz Salem, Mohammad Latif, Youssef Mohammad (Egypt); Abdel Halim Mohammad, Abdel Rahim Shaddad, Badawi Mohammad Ali (Sudan) and Fred Fell (South Africa). They got together on June 7 and 8 at the Avenida Hotel and decided among other things to create an African Football Confederation and to organized a competition among countries beginning from 1957 in Khartoum, Sudan, where the statutes and regulations of the new body would be drawn.
Foundation of African Cup of Nations
The Constitutional Assembly of CAF took place on February 8, 1957, at the Grand Hotel in Khartoum, Sudan. In attendance were Abdel Aziz Salem, Mourad Fahmy, Galal Koreitem, Moustafa Kamel Mansour and Youssef Mohammad representing Egypt, Ydnekatchew Tessema, General Aman Andom and Guebeyehu Double (Ethiopia), Abdel Halim Mohammad, Abdel Rahim Shaddad, Badawi Mohammad Ali and Ahmad Mohammad Singawi (Sudan) and Fred Fell (South Africa). The foundation of the CAF statutes came from proposed statutes by both Tessema and Shaddad while regulations were also drawn for the African Cup of Nations. Engineer Salem was elected first CAF President while Tessema, Abdel Halim and Fell were voted into the executive committee as members with Youssef Mohamed as the first honorary General Secretary. The first African Cup of Nations kicked off on February 10 without South Africa, who were disqualified after they failed to present a multi-racial team.
Ethiopia had a bye to the final, while at Khartoum Stadium, the Egyptians beat the hosting nation 2:1. The final was much easier for Egypt; 4:0 against Ethiopia, all the goals were scored by Mohammad Diab El Attar, also known as "Ad-Diba", who finished the tournament as top scorer with 5 goals. Only two games were played to give Egypt the inaugural African Champions title.
CAF move to Cairo The young organisation suffered an early setback when its important documents were lost during a fire outbreak at the offices of the Sudan Football Association where they were kept. Luckily, the statutes adopted at the Constitutional Assembly had already been sent to FIFA and they were subsequently approved by the FIFA Executive Committee on June 21, 1957, in Zürich.
Thus going by Article 5 of these statutes which stipulates that the headquarters of CAF be located in the same country as where the president resides, the organisation's first office was on 3, El Hadika Street, Garden City, Cairo.
Appointment of Abdel Aziz Moustafa as president The third CAF General Assembly took place in June 1958 in Stockholm during the FIFA Congress and World Cup. The four founding countries were represented although acting president Salem stayed away because of a strained relationship with the president of the Egyptian Football Association (EFA), Field Marshal Abdel Hakim Amer. General Abdel Aziz Moustafa will thus replace his compatriot as CAF President while Dr. Abdel Halim emerged as the first African to be elected to the FIFA Executive Committee. Mustafa Mansour also succeeded former player and referee Youssef Mohamed as CAF General Secretary.
An Extraordinary meeting was held on August 21, 1960, in Rome, with delegates from Ghana, Morocco and Tunisia also in attendance. Several issues, from the creation of an Executive Committee to a revision of the statutes were discussed. It was agreed that the next meeting be held in November in Cairo with Egypt shouldering the expenses of all delegates. However, it was not till 16 February 1961 that the Congress took place. General Moustafa was re-elected President while Mourad Fahmy took over as General Secretary. It was also decided that each national association pay an annual affiliation fee of .
During the fourth Congress in Cairo in 1961, Ydnekatchew proposed the Headquarters of the Confederation be moved to Addis Ababa. Further to the main objective of ensuring a responsible Secretariat; his proposal was also the first effort for equitable distribution of duties, powers and benefits in the Confederation. Ydnekatchew hoped new members Ghana and Tunisia would support this logical proposal, but for reasons of election politics, they preferred not to challenge the status quo.
Egypt's financial aid to the CAF Fahmy had to start from the scratch as the organisation did not have money and was even indebted to a printing company. It also did not have a staff. The EFA would later rent two rooms of its new office located on the Nile to CAF courtesy of the goodwill of both Fahmy and Mostafa who were both top officials of EFA. EFA also settled CAF's utility bills while the Egyptian Olympic Committee granted this new organisation 2,000 pounds a year.
At the Extraordinary General Assembly in Addis Ababa, General Mostafa defeated Tessema to become a FIFA Vice-President while Ghana's Ohene Djan got on the FIFA Executive Committee also at the expense of Tessema.
Attendance of Sir Stanley Rous at CAF 3rd Extraordinary General Assembly in Cairo A watershed gathering of this young confederation took place on January 23 and 24 1963 when Moustafa succeeded in getting the Egyptian government to bankroll the accommodation and travel expenses of visiting delegates. Therefore, a record 23 national associations attended alongside FIFA President Sir Stanley Rous. Several ground-breaking decisions were taken at this meeting. First, the continent was divided into six geographical zones and the CAF Executive Committee was expanded to take in 12 representatives. Djan and Tessema emerged as Vice-Presidents and a new set of statutes was adopted and published.
Establishment of African Cup of Champions Clubs At the next General Assembly in Accra, on November 22, 1963, a decision was taken to create a new competition for clubs the African Cup of Champions Clubs.
A year later, during the Congress in Tokyo, on the eve of the 1964 Summer Olympics, a counter proposal co-sponsored by Ethiopia, Egypt and then new member Ghana, calling for the expulsion of Apartheid South Africa, surprisingly won the majority vote for the reduced, but equally effective suspension of Apartheid, reversing the 1963 decision. Thereafter, ceaseless efforts by Sir Stanley to change this new status were successfully blocked by Africa. As many as 25 African countries were represented during this congress, Djan was re-elected to the FIFA Executive Committee.