Egyptian Football Association boss resigns to avert Fifa sanctions

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Gamal Allam has resigned as head of the Egyptian Football Association after Fifa warned that the north African body could be suspended from international football due to government interference.

The executive board of the EFA was dissolved by a court ruling on Sunday over suspected rigging of 2012 elections.

“I took this decision to save Egyptian football especially after Fifa warned to suspend football activity,” Allam was quoted as saying after he submitted his resignation to the sports minister,” said Allam.

“I prefer to resign as I fear Egypt could face Kuwait’s fate, which was suspended by Fifa due to government interference,” he added.

While Allam was in charge, the EFA board was dissolved pursuant to a verdict in a court case that dates back to a lawsuit filed in 2013 by the president of the second division football team Bani Ebeid, Hermas Radwan.

The case challenged the integrity of the voting process in the association’s 2012 elections.

Fifa statutes prohibit any government interference in football matters.

Fifa and the International Olympic Committee have both suspended Kuwait because of alleged government interference in the Gulf state’s sports scene.

“When I was attending the last Fifa congress in Mexico I watched the Kuwaiti officials fail in all their efforts to lift the suspension and to bring football back to life again,” Allam added.

Elections for a new board, held every four years, are set to take place in September.