Constant Omari: DR Congo’s former Fifa Council member handed one-year ban
The former Fifa Council member was found to have received benefits from Lagardere during negotiations between the French media company and Caf
DR Congo’s former interim Confederation of African Football (Caf) president Constant Omari has been suspended from football for one-year by Fifa for breaking its ethics code.
The former Fifa Council member was found to have received benefits from Lagardere during negotiations between the French media company and Caf.
“The negotiations, which were led by Mr Omari on behalf of Caf, resulted in contractual provisions that were particularly detrimental to Caf, causing significant financial damage to the confederation.”
“In this respect, the receipt of benefits created a conflict of interests that detracted from Mr Omari’s ability to perform his dues to Caf with integrity and in an independent and purposeful manner.”
In early 2019, Omari oversaw an amendment to the billion-dollar deal that Caf had made with Lagardere Sports in 2015.
Under this amendment, Caf agreed to pay Lagardere $6.7m for around $20m of debt, related to outstanding TV rights payments, owed by Beninois sports agency LC2 GROUP to the French company. Omari’s ban will end on 18 June 2022, a year after it started.
Omari quits as President of Congolese FA
After 18 years at the head of the umbrella body of Congolese football, he announced his resignation on June 16 during a press conference.
The rumour smouldered for two days, reporting the resignation of the president of the Congolese Football Association (Fécofa), Constant Omari Selemani.
“The modern man” as his relatives call him has finally formalized his departure from the Congolese football body where he was master on board for almost 18 years. Two days ago, he told reporters that he “will not go on the sly”.
It was therefore during a press conference held on June 16 at the headquarters of Fécofa in Kinshasa that he announced his effective resignation.
“It was with my head held high that I decided to return the apron and leave Fécofa. For 21 years, we managed to stabilize this federation because everyone knew what it was long before. My plan was to break down the current building and endow the federation with a ten-story building. Unfortunately, this did not happen and it is my great regret. Nevertheless, those who will come and those with whom I have worked and who will be able to return will be able to achieve this ”, said Constant Omari.
And for his succession, Vice-President Donation Tshimanga Mwamba will act as the head of the umbrella body of Congolese football until the organization of the elections in December 2021. Note that he had already mentioned his departure last March, after the defeat of the Leopards of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Franceville against the Panthers of Gabon, on the fifth day of the qualifiers for the African Cup of Nations (CAN) Cameroon 2022.
This defeat sounded the elimination of the Leopards and national sports opinion had descended on the president of the Federation, asking him to leave his post. And Omari had declared that he was not going to stand for the next Fécofa elections scheduled for December 2021. He reminded the press conference in these terms:
“It was in March that I started my reflection, the day after the match against Gabon. I said that it was high time to leave Fécofa, and allow another generation to move on to another experience ”.
Constant Omari is leaving well before the start of the Qatar World Cup qualifiers. The Leopards start next September against the Taifa Stars of Tanzania.
In 18 years of Omari’s governance, the local Leopards won two African Nations Championship titles in 2009 and 2016, and a bronze medal at the Africa Cup of Nations in 2015.
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