VAR To Enter 2019 AFCON Fray From Quarters, FIFA Boss To Help Run CAF

CAIRO, Egypt- VAR, the video review system that sparked chaotic scenes in the African Champions League final last month, will be introduced from the quarter-final stage at the Cup of Nations in Egypt, CAF president Ahmad Ahmad said Thursday.

"It's a measure of prudence. When you see the various countries that use VAR, they don't rush into it from the start. It's a technology that a lot of people don't completely use yet," Ahmad said in Cairo, on the eve of the opening match between hosts Egypt and Zimbabwe.

"It was planned for the semi-finals to start with, but we insisted that we have to go a little bit further. The executive committee decided on the quarter-finals, so that it's a success."

The announcement was one keenly awaited since the controversy that overshadowed the second leg of the CAF Champions League final between Tunisian club Esperance and Wydad Casablanca of Morocco.

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In an unprecedented decision, CAF ordered the match to be replayed following the Cup of Nations after Wydad walked off the pitch in protest and refused to return after a faulty VAR system was unavailable to judge a disallowed equaliser.

At the same time, FIFA secretary general Fatma Samoura has been appointed general delegate for Africa for six months starting August 1 as part of ongoing reforms within African football's governing body.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) and its president Ahmad Ahmad have been in the spotlight after recent governance issues, while he was questioned as part of an inquiry into corruption, breach of trust and forgery in France earlier this month.

Without charge

He was later released without charge and has dismissed the allegations as "false".

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Ahmad proposed the idea of seeking FIFA's expertise to help assess CAF's current situation and speed up reforms plans aimed at ensuring the organisation operates with "transparency and efficiency".

The notion was unanimously approved by CAF's executive committee, and Samoura and a group of experts will work in tandem with Ahmad and his team to cover a number of areas, in an agreement that can be renewed with the agreement of both parties.

These areas include overseeing operational management of CAF, ensuring the "efficient and professional organisation of all CAF competitions", and supporting the growth and development of football in all African regions.

Samoura will remain as secretary general of FIFA but will delegate her functions within the administration, according to a joint statement from FIFA and CAF.

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African football's leading club competition was thrown into disarray in the run-up to the Cup of Nations after the announcement that its showpiece game will have to be replayed, with the Tunisian prime minister weighing in to call the handling of the affair a "farce".

CAF said that the Champions League final between Tunisian giants Esperance and Wydad Casablanca of Morocco would be replayed at a neutral venue after the Cup of Nations, which runs from June 21 to July 19.