Algeria.. Leaders force Tunisia to withdraw its candidacy for membership in the CAF executive board

Heba Press-Youssef Adadad

Tunisian candidate Hussein Janeh has decided to withdraw his candidacy for the position of member of the Executive Bureau of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for the North Africa region.

The move follows the recommendation of Tunisia’s highest authorities, who initially supported Janeh’s candidacy to participate in the race, before withdrawing under pressure from the Algerian military regime.

Tunisian media surprised by the decision

The Tunisian media were surprised by this sudden change of position, although they had previously welcomed the Tunisian candidacy as an opportunity to defend the interests of Tunisian football.

The sudden decision of the Tunisian authorities raises a certain number of questions, the reasons which pushed them to withdraw from the candidacy not having been revealed, leaving the way open to the Algerian candidate Walid Sadi, who should access the membership in the absence of another competitor.

Algerian army forces Tunisia to withdraw its candidacy

Algerian media reported that Tunisia’s candidacy had confused the calculations of Algerian authorities, who were actively seeking the position.

She also expressed concern about the possibility of coordination between the Tunisian candidate and the leaders of the football federations of Morocco and Egypt.

Many observers believe that Tunisia became subject to the orders of the Algerian military regime, which caused it to withdraw its candidate at the last minute, much to the astonishment of Tunisians at pleasing the Algerian regime.

Algeria exploits sport to achieve its political objectives

Algeria seeks to exploit sport to achieve its political goals, as demonstrated by its continued attempts to use sporting events as a tool to influence the political scene on the African continent.

These policies could contribute to sowing discord between countries, as Algeria attempts to influence the positions of certain African countries in favor of its own interests, which reinforces political divisions and harms the unification of the continent in various domains.