CAIRO, Egypt - The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has labelled a planned Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA) meeting as an "attempt to destabilise" the continental governing body.
Phillip Chiyangwa, who was elected as the new president of COSAFA in December 2016, has called for a meeting with African national association chairmen in Harare, Zimbabwe on 24th February 2017.
According to a letter from CAF secretary general Hichman El Amrani to Chinyangwa, the continental federation's main concern is that the meeting includes nations from outside the COSAFA region.
“The CAF leadership has been informed that a meeting is convened by yourself in your capacity as COSAFA chairman, in Harare Zimbabwe on 24th February 2017, right after the FIFA executive summit planned in Johannesburg on 21st to 23rd February 2017," it reads
"The meeting would not include only presidents of member associations of COSAFA but also presidents of many member associations outside the zonal union of COSAFA. The CAF leadership would like to remind you that you do not have the authority to convene such a meeting without CAF knowledge nor without its required approval.”
CAF further insisted Chiyangwa should respect the authority of CAF and not conduct any activities to undermine the common objectives of CAF, for the benefit of African football development.
According to media reports, Chiyangwa has already sent a reply to CAF’s warning by writing: “I was taken aback, to say the least, by the tone of your letter and the clear insinuation that such a gathering between presidents of member associations on the African continent would be considered, out rightly, as an attempt to destabilise CAF.
"CAF’s statutes promote friendly relations between National Associations, zonal unions, clubs, officials and players and the meeting is for that very objective.”