Mr Secretary General,
We follow the holding of the Ordinary General Assembly of the Guinean Football Federation (FGF) on November 25 and 26, 2023 in Conakry and during which the elections of a new executive committee and jurisdictional bodies, which were planned, n could not take place due to a lack of quorum. We also refer to the various meetings which took place between the FIFA and CAF delegation (the delegation) and the state authorities as well as with the various bodies of the FGF during the delegation’s two visits to Conakry between November 24 and 28, 2023.
In this regard and all first of allwe recall that the delegation clearly indicated to the competent authorities as well as to the FGF during the said visits, that in the absence of an elected executive committee and taking into account the end of the mandate of the FGF standardization committee, it was now it is up to the secretary general of the FGF to convene a new elective General Assembly as soon as possible, in accordance with the provisions of article 36 paragraph 9 of the new Statutes of the FGF.
Secondlywe also remind you that the delegation indicated to the competent authorities during on-site discussions that only the three lists validated by the FGF Electoral Commission on November 13, 2023, that is to say the lists of Mr. Abdoul Karim Bangoura, Mr. Aboubacar Sampil and Mr. Almamy Saidou Sylla, must be taken into account in the next elections. In this regard, it was also recalled that the electoral commissions, elected by the General Assembly of the FGF, are statutorily empowered to conduct and supervise these elections independently, and that the main way of appealing against their decisions must be before an arbitral tribunal, in accordance with the provisions of the FGF Statutes (see art. 66).
ThirdlyFIFA confirms that the timetable (copy attached) drawn up by you in agreement with the electoral commissions of the FGF will allow the finalization of the electoral process, with the date set for the elections of the new executive committee and the jurisdictional bodies of the FGF on January 6, 2024. FIFA also considers it absolutely necessary that the elections of the new executive committee be held before the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations which will begin on January 11, 2024.
Fourthwe wish to clarify that in the absence of a new validly elected executive committee, the Secretary General, assisted by his administration, will ensure the day-to-day affairs of the FGF and take any necessary decision within the framework of the powers and tasks described in Article 57 of the FGF Statutes.
Eventually, we would like to draw the attention of the FGF to the content of article 14 paragraph 1 a) of the FIFA Statutes which provides, among other things, that the directives and decisions of the FIFA bodies must be followed at all times by its member associations. Furthermore, paragraph i) of the same article stipulates that FIFA member associations also have the obligation to conduct their affairs with complete independence and must ensure that no third party interferes, in accordance with the Article 19 of the FIFA Statutes. In this context, it seems necessary to us to emphasize that a violation of its obligations can entail the sanctions provided for by the FIFA Statutesincluding suspension, even if the third party’s interference is not attributable to the member association in question (see art. 14 paras. 2 and 3 of the FIFA Statutes).
FIFA therefore expects that all football stakeholders in the Republic of Guinea will work in harmony and in full transparency so that the elections of the new executive committee of the FGF can take place in the best possible conditions and in compliance with the applicable texts and directives from FIFA and CAF. Thanking you for taking note of the above, please accept, Mr. Secretary General, the expression of our most sincere greetings.
Kenny Jean-Marie Director of the Member Associations Division
