Staff allege mismanagement, favouritism at CAF under Mosengo-Omba

Confederation of African Football (CAF) General Secretary, Véron Mosengo-Omba. (Photo: CAF)

By Bashir Mbuthia
Tuesday, October 14, 2025

Confederation of African Football's Audit and Compliance Committee later said Mosengo-Omba attempted to influence the investigation to downplay its findings.

The General Secretary of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Véron Mosengo-Omba, has been accused of creating a workplace culture of fear, where employees risk retaliation for challenging his decisions.

According to current and former employees, the atmosphere at CAF's Cairo headquarters is tense, with colleagues reportedly sidelined and whistleblowers silenced.

For instance, Hannan Nur, the former head of governance, risk, and compliance, was dismissed after accusing Mosengo-Omba of blocking her department from doing its work, violating internal rules and interfering with audits.

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CAF's Audit and Compliance Committee later said Mosengo-Omba attempted to influence the investigation to downplay its findings.

Similarly, Abiola Ijasanmi, CAF's former Chief Operating Officer, was dismissed in April after raising complaints against the general secretary that mirrored those made by Nur. In August, Noumandiez Doué, Head of Refereeing, and Raúl Chipenda, Director of Development, were also dismissed.

"Anyone who dares to speak up - anyone who is part of the report - is terminated, without cause, without any due process," a senior employee told The Guardian, on condition of anonymity.

"We live in an organisation that deliberately hides the truth so as not to embarrass the Secretary General and his entourage. Everything is political now."

Similarly, CAF staff allege that Mosengo-Omba has interfered with the work of the organisation's independent committees, undermining their ability to make decisions autonomously.

"Véron and some other directors are running Caf as their own proprietorship," a former senior staff member said.

"What is even more sad is the fact that the committees do not function. The independent committees are not independent. They're influenced. Véron always tries to manipulate the decision, and he's always influencing them."

Others claim that employees connected to Mosengo-Omba have been allowed to make decisions beyond their official roles, violating CAF rules and internal procedures.

Several sources also accused Mosengo-Omba, a longtime friend and former university classmate of FIFA president Gianni Infantino, of showing favouritism by placing associates and fellow Congolese nationals in senior positions for which they lacked the necessary qualifications.

The accusations mirror findings from last year's Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) report, presented to CAF's executive committee this year, which described Mosengo-Omba's leadership as creating a "stressful, unethical, and unprofessional" work environment.

Mosengo-Omba has denied any misconduct regarding the GRC report's allegations, stating that he has "acted with full integrity" and that "independent investigations will prove these claims to be false."

Despite CAF announcing profits of $9.48 million (Sh1.2 billion) for the 2023-24 financial year, some staff members claim that the results do not reflect the body's true financial state, which they described as fragile.

"The audit and compliance committee tried to raise the issue, but Mosengo-Omba's modus operandi is to silence you or you're out," one insider said.

The CAF General Secretary has similarly been faulted for misusing funds earmarked for development projects, with alleged irregularities in the handling of FIFA Forward money, a program meant to support African football.

According to staff members, Mosengo-Omba has assumed "sole control" over the funds, preventing independent audits and oversight.

Whistleblowers also maintain that all of this is occurring while CAF President Patrice Motsepe, who was re-elected unopposed for a second term in March, has seldom been present at the organisation's headquarters.

"Motsepe is never here. In four years of his mandate, he only came twice and met the staff once. He doesn't have a clue what's going on inside his own confederation," a senior employee said.