An imprisoned football executive is reportedly on the verge of being named president of an African football association.
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In Mali, an upcoming football election is capturing everyone's attention due to its extraordinary circumstances.
Mamatou Toure is the only candidate vying for the presidency of Mali's football federation (FEMAFOOT).
What makes this election so remarkable is that he is currently behind bars, awaiting trial on charges of embezzlement from his previous role in Mali's National Assembly.
Despite his legal woes, though, Toure is expected to secure himself a new four-year term as head of Malian football.
He has held the position of chief of FEMAFOOT since 2019, and has also served on the FIFA Council and CAF's executive committee.
Financial irregularities are believed to have plagued the west African nation's football association for much of the 66-year-old's tenure.
Several financial audits have raised concerns about missing funds, unpaid salaries for trainers, and questionable transactions, with it being recently revealed that FEMAFOOT has failed to pay taxes on employee salaries and made payments to unspecified entities without proper authorisation.
According to the BBC, despite the pending charges and financial controversies, Toure stands as the only eligible candidate for the presidency in the impending election as most of the charges levelled against him came before he was appointed president of the organisation.
Other candidates who initially qualified have since been disqualified, with their attempts to challenge Toure's candidacy being unsuccessful.
Critics have raised doubts about the fairness of the election process as a result, citing procedural inconsistencies and potential bias in favour of the Bamako native.
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Both FIFA and CAF are understood to be closely monitoring the electoral process and have stressed that any dispute should follow established legal procedures as any government interference could see the nation being banned by world football's governing body, consequently jeopardising their hopes of competing at the next Africa Cup of Nations.
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