Confederation of African Football

Confederation of African Football Confédération Africaine de Football الإتحاد الأفريقي لكرة القدم
CAF logo
CAF members are in green
Formation	1957
Type	Sports organization
Headquarters	6 October City, Egypt
Membership	55 member associations
Official languages	English, French and Arabic
Secretary General	Moustafa Fahmy
President	Issa Hayatou
Website	www.cafonline.com

The Confederation of African Football (French: Confédération Africaine de Football), (Arabic: الإتحاد الأفريقي لكرة القدم‎) is the administrative and controlling body for African football. It is almost always referred to by its acronym CAF (usually pronounced /ˈkæf/).

CAF represents the national football associations of Africa, runs continental national and club competitions, and controls the prize money, regulations and media rights to those competitions.

CAF is one of the biggest of six continental confederations of FIFA. Although it is just three years younger than the UEFA, CAF still has a long way to go in order to improve the quality of the national and local competitions, and therefore, overcome a lot of naturally occurring obstacles, or other burdens such as; limited resources and either complete or partial lack of infrastructures, besides the high cost of transportation through different sides of the continent. Nevertheless, Africa produced skilled players and teams that match, and sometimes exceed Europeans, but, these isolated cases should not be self-deceptive into believing that Africa have achieved European standards in all the domains of football. CAF has been given 5 slots out of the 32 available since the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France and increased to 6 in 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

CAF was founded on 8 February 1957 in Khartoum, Sudan by the Egyptian, Ethiopian, South African and Sudanese FAs, following former discussions between the Egyptian, Somalias, South African and Sudanese FAs earlier in 7 June 1956 in Avenida Hotel in Lisbon, Portugal. The headquarters were few months in Khartoum until a fire outbreak in the offices of the Sudanese Football Association when the organization moved near Cairo. Youssef Mohammad was the first General Secretary and Abdel Aziz Abdallah Salem the president. Its administrative center since 2002 is in 6th of October City, near Cairo. It was initially made up of 4 national associations. Currently there are 55 associations, 53 full members beside Réunion Island and Zanzibar as associates. (see the bottom of this page or List of CAF national football teams).

The current CAF President is Issa Hayatou.

History

Competitions

Continental

The main competition for men's national teams is the African Cup of Nations, started in 1957. In 2009, CAF will be organising another competition for men's national teams, the African Nations Championship composed exclusively of national players playing in the national championship. CAF also runs national competitions at Under-21 and Under-17 levels. For women's national teams, CAF operates the CAF Women's Championship for senior national sides and the CAF Women's Under-20 Championship at under-20 level, since 2008 there is a CAF Women's Under-17 Championship for under-17 sides.

CAF also organizes the UEFA-CAF Meridian Cup with UEFA for youth teams.

In futsal there is the African Futsal Championship.

In Beach soccer there is the CAF Beach Soccer Championship.

Also, CAF is responsible for organisation of the football events during the Pan African Games.

Club

CAF also runs the two main club competitions in Africa: the CAF Champions League was first held in 1964, and was known as the African Cup of Champions Clubs (or just African Cup) until 1997; and the CAF Confederation Cup, for national cup winners and high-placed league teams, was launched by CAF in 2004 as a successor to the African Cup Winners' Cup (begun in 1975). A third competition, the CAF Cup, started in 1992 and was absorbed into the CAF Confederation Cup in 2004^[1].

The CAF Super Cup, which pits the winners of the Champions League against the winners of the CAF Confederation Cup (previously the winners of the Cup Winners' Cup), came into being in 1992.

2010 Togo Expulsion Controversy

CAF has been the subject of widespread media controversy^[2] and criticism^[3] following a decision to ban Togo from the next two Africa Cup of Nations matches^[4], after Togo briefly withdrew then tried to rejoin the competition following a armed ambush on their bus which wounded and killed several passengers, including players^[5]. CAF's parent body FIFA has expressed sympathy to Togo^[6], but has not commented on CAF's actions.

CAF Members

Confederation of African Football / Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF) - 1957

53 Full Members

2 Associate Members

Regional Federations

Council of East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA) - 1973  Burundi - 1994  Ethiopia - 1973  Somalia - 1973  Uganda - 1973  Djibouti - 1995  Kenya - 1973  Sudan - 1975  Zanzibar 2 - 1973 & 2003  Eritrea - 1994  Rwanda - 1994  Tanzania - 1973 West Africa Football Union (WAFU) - Union du Football de l'Ouest Afrique (UFOA) - 1975  Benin - 1975  Côte d'Ivoire - 1975  Guinea - 1975  Mali - 1975  Nigeria - 1975  Togo - 1975  Burkina Faso - 1975  Gambia - 1975  Guinea-Bissau - 1975  Mauritania - 1975  Senegal - 1975  Cape Verde - 1975  Ghana - 1975  Liberia - 1975  Niger - 1975  Sierra Leone - 1975 Union des Fédérations de Football d'Afrique Centrale (UNIFFAC) - 1978  Cameroon - 1978  Congo  Gabon  Central African Republic  Congo DR  São Tomé and Príncipe  Chad  Equatorial Guinea Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA) - 1997  Angola - 1997  Lesotho - 1997  Mauritius - 2000  Seychelles - 2000  Zambia - 1997  Botswana - 1997  Madagascar - 2000  Mozambique - 1997  South Africa - 1997  Zimbabwe - 1997  Comoros - 2007  Malawi - 1997  Namibia - 1997  Swaziland - 1997 Union of North Africa Football Federations (UNAF) - 2005  Algeria - 2005  Tunisia - 2005  Libya - 2005  Morocco - 2005 Non-regional Members  Egypt 3  Réunion 2 ^ - Excluded from CAF and from 1st African Cup of Nations in 1957 due to Apartheid ^ - Non-FIFA member associations holding associate membership of CAF ^ - Member of UNAF from 2005 to 2009 - Withdrew from UNAF on the 19th of November 2009

African regional federations:      UNAF (North Africa)      WAFU-UFOA (West Africa)      UNIFFAC (Central Africa)      CECAFA (East Africa)      COSAFA (Southern Africa)      UAFA (Arab World)

CAF Regional Zones

CAF Zone 1 - Northern Zone

CAF Zone 2 - Western Zone A

CAF Zone 3 - Western Zone B

CAF Zone 4 - Central Zone

CAF Zone 5 - Central Eastern Zone

CAF Zone 6 - Southern Zone

World Cup Participation and Results

Legend

• QF – Quarterfinals
• R16 – Round of 16 (since 1986: knockout round of 16)
• GS – Group Stage
• 1S – First Knockout Stage (1934–1938 Single-elimination tournament)
•    — Hosts

Men's World Cup Finals

The following CAF members have competed in the following FIFA World Cups. Teams are sorted by number of appearances.

Team	1930	1934	1938	1950	1954	1958	1962	1966	1970	1974	1978	1982	1986	1990	1994	1998	2002	2006	2010	Total
Cameroon												GS		QF	GS	GS	GS		GS	6
Morocco									GS				R16		GS	GS				4
Nigeria															R16	R16	GS		GS	4
Tunisia											GS					GS	GS	GS		4
Algeria												GS	GS						GS	3
South Africa																GS	GS		GS	3
Côte d'Ivoire																		GS	GS	2
Egypt		1S												GS						2
Ghana																		R16	QF	2
Angola																		GS		1
Congo DR1										GS										1
Senegal																	QF			1
Togo																		GS		1
Total	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	1	2	2	2	3	5	5	5	6	34

1 Made 1 appearance as Zaire in 1974.

Women's World Cup Finals

The following CAF members have competed in the following FIFA Women's World Cups. Teams are sorted by number of appearances.

Team	1991	1995	1999	2003	2007	2011	Total
Nigeria	GS	GS	QF	GS	GS		5
Ghana			GS	GS	GS		3
Total	1	1	2	2	2	TBD	8

• Q – Qualified for the 2011 Women's World Cup

Rankings

National Teams

Men's Team

Rankings are calculated by FIFA.^[7]

AFC	FIFA	Country	Points
1	12	Egypt	967
2	20	Cameroon	887
3	22	Nigeria	883
4	25	Côte d'Ivoire	846
5	27	Algeria	821
6	31	Ghana	802
7	43	Gabon	707
8	52	Burkina Faso	589
9	56	Tunisia	574
10	57	Mali	573

Last updated March 31, 2010

Women's National Teams

Rankings are calculated by FIFA based on matches played over the last four years.^[8]

CAF	FIFA	Country	Points
1	29	Nigeria	1652
2	44	Ghana	1523
3	54	South Africa	1408
4	62	Morocco	1359
5	66	Algeria	1344
6	68	Equatorial Guinea	1338
7	70	Côte d'Ivoire	1334
8	72	Tunisia	1319
9	73	Cameroon	1300
10	75	Mali	1282

Last updated March 31, 2010

Top 20 African Clubs

Rankings are calculated by the IFFHS based on matches played over the last year till the date of release.^[9]

CAF	IFFHS	Club	Points
1	41	Al Ahly Sporting Club	158.0
2	71	Étoile Sportive du Sahel	136.5
3	80	Enyimba International F.C.	131.0
4	95	Cotonsport FC de Garoua	124.5
5	97	Al-Merreikh	123.5
6	102	Dynamos F.C.	120.5
7	110	Al-Hilal Omdurman	113.0
8	115	Zamalek Sporting Club	112.0
9	122	Club Africain	107.0
10	132	Mamelodi Sundowns FC	103.5
11	142	Haras El Hodood	99.0
12	152	Club Sportif Sfaxien	96.5
13	172	Asante Kotoko	90.0
14	179	ASEC Mimosas	88.0
15	193	Jeunesse Sportive de Kabylie	86.0
16	196	Olympique Club de Khouribga	84.5
17	213	Grupo Desportivo Interclube	81.5
18	225	Alittihad Tripoli	79.0
19	251	Forces Armées Royales Rabat	75.0
20	261	Platinum Stars	74.0

Last updated December 1, 2008

CAF overall ranking of African Clubs

Rankings are calculated by the CAF based on points gathered by African teams throughout their participation in international club tournaments organized by either the FIFA or the CAF since the establishment of the first African Cup of Champions Clubs in 1964.^[10]

CAF	Club	Points
1	Al-Ahly	74.0
2	Étoile du Sahel	50.0
3	Zamalek	48.0
4	Asante Kotoko	44.0
5	ASEC Mimosas	42.0
6	Espérance	42.0
7	Canon Yaoundé	36.0
8	JS Kabylie	35.0
9	Hearts of Oak	31.0
10	Africa Sports	30.0

CAF Best Footballers Of The Century

The voting to select the best of the century refers to three categories: male player^[11], goalkeeper^[12] and female player^[13], and is obtained from five different steps. The resulting best players and goalkeepers were honored during the "World Football Gala 1999". Voting process as explained by the IFFHS.

CAF Best Player of the Century

Player Name	Points
George Weah	95
Roger Milla	77
Abédi Pelé	72
Lakhdar Belloumi	56
Rabah Madjer	51
Théophile Abega	39
Laurent Pokou	38
Kalusha Bwalya	37
Ahmed Faras	35
Finidi George	32

CAF Best Goalkeeper Of The Century

Player Name	Points
Joseph-Antoine Bell	39
Thomas Nkono	30
Sadok Sassi	26
Badou Zaki	24
Mwamba Kazadi	19
Jacques Songo'o	13
Bruce Grobbelaar	11
Ahmed Shobair	10
Alain Gouaméné	9
Peter Rufai	6

CAF Best Women's Footballer Of The Century

Player Name	Points
Uche Eucharia Ngozi	21
Rita Nwadike	18
Doris Nkiru Okosieme	17
Florence Omagbemi	15
Ann Chiojirie	14
Nana Ama Gyamfuah	13
Fikhile Sitole	9
Vivian Mensah	8
Mercy Akide	7
Ann Agumanu

CAF Golden Jubilee Best Players Poll

In 2007 CAF published the list of top 30 African players who played in the period from 1957 to 2007, as part of the celebration of CAF's 50th anniversary, ordered according to an online poll.^[14].

CAF's Anthem

In September 18, 2007 the CAF launched a competition for all African composers to create its Anthem^[15]. The CAF anthem is a musical composition, without lyrics, which and reflect the cultural patrimony and African music. The duration of the anthem is 74 seconds. The chosen anthem was first published to the site in January 16, 2008. The usage of the anthem and yet it's composer are still unknown.

Announced September 18, 2007

See also

CAF competitions

CAF resolutions

Related articles

• History of CAF
• List of presidents of CAF
• List of first international of African national teams
• IFFHS Africa's best clubs of the 20th century

External links

• Confederation Of African Football official CAF site
• CAF video highlights
• The history of the Confederation Of African Football
• Listen to CAF Anthem CAF Anthem

References

International association football FIFA · World Cup · Confederations Cup · U-20 World Cup · U-17 World Cup · Olympics · Asian Games · All-Africa Games · Pan American Games · Minor tournaments · World Rankings · Player of the Year · FIFA Ballon d'Or  · Teams · Debuts · Competitions · Federations · Codes Asia AFC – Asian Cup Africa CAF – Africa Cup of Nations North, Central America and Caribbean CONCACAF – Gold Cup South America CONMEBOL – Copa América Oceania OFC – Nations Cup Europe UEFA – European Championship Non-FIFA N.F.-Board – Viva World Cup– Europeada

African Football National competitions African Cup of Nations · African Nations Championship · All-Africa Games Youth competitions Youth Championship · U-17 Championship Club competitions CAF Champions League · CAF Confederation Cup · CAF Super Cup Federation CAF Prizes African Footballer of the Year  · CAF Awards National Managers List of African national football team managers Rankings CAF 5-Year Ranking Sub-regions Northern Africa UNAF Western Africa WAFU Central Africa UNIFFAC Eastern Africa CECAFA Southern Africa COSAFA Arab UAFA CAFOnline.com

International women's football FIFA · World Cup · Olympics · Algarve Cup · Pan American Games · World Rankings · Player of the Year · FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup · FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup · Teams Asia AFC – Women's Asian Cup Africa CAF – Women's Championship North America, Central America and Caribbean CONCACAF – Women's Gold Cup South America CONMEBOL – Sudamericano Femenino Oceania OFC – Women's Championship Europe UEFA – Women's Championship Non-FIFA NF-Board – Women's Viva World Cup

International club football FIFA · Club World Cup (stats) · Intercontinental Cup (defunct) (stats) · Player of the Year · List of confederation and inter-confederation club competition winners · Teams Asia AFC - Champions League · AFC Cup · President's Cup · Top-division clubs Africa CAF - Champions League · Confederation Cup · Super Cup · Top-division clubs Europe UEFA - Champions League · Europa League · Super Cup · Top-division clubs North, Central America and the Caribbean CONCACAF - Champions League · SuperLiga · CFU Club Championship · Top-division clubs Oceania OFC - Champions League · Top-division clubs South America CONMEBOL - Copa Libertadores · Copa Sudamericana · Recopa Sudamericana · Top-division clubs

International futsal FIFA · Ranking · AMF · FIFA Futsal World Cup · AMF World Cup · Grand Prix · Confederations Cup  · Mediterranean Cup  · Asian Indoor Games · Pan American Games · Lusophony Games · World Rankings · Teams · Organizations · Codes Asia AFC – Futsal Championship Africa CAF – Futsal Championship North America Central America and Caribbean CONCACAF – Futsal Championship South America CONMEBOL – Copa América Oceania OFC – Futsal Championship Europe UEFA – UEFA Futsal Championship UEFS - UEFS Futsal Men's Championship - UEFS Futsal Women's Championship

International beach soccer FIFA · BSWW · FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup · Pro Beach Soccer Tour · Mundialito · World Rankings Asia AFC – Championship Africa CAF – Championship North America Central America and Caribbean CONCACAF – Championship South America CONMEBOL – Championship Oceania OFC – Championship Europe UEFA – League · Cup · World Cup Qualification

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