THE AFRICAN Football Confederation's (CAF) current secretary general, , has been appointed director of competitions at the International Football Federation (FIFA). According to cafonline.com, Fahmy will resign from CAF by the end of September, immediately after the annual meetings of the CAF Standing Committees and CAF Executive Committee. When he leaves, Fahmy would have spent 28 years as secretary general and 32 years in service at CAF. Fahmy will be joining FIFA in replacement of Jim Brown who decided to step down for family reasons. This is the first time in the history of the world football governing body that a member of the high FIFA management (president, secretary general or directors) is appointed from outside Europe or the Americas. FIFA Secretary General Jereome Valcke distributed a circular letter among FIFA staff announcing the appointment of Fahmy. The letter said: "As is often the case at the end of a World Cup cycle, some people wish to move on and tackle new challenges. For family reasons, Jim Brown has decided to return to the US to be with his family, which has recently welcomed two new members. His seven years at FIFA and our cooperation in preparing for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa will never be forgotten and I would like to place on record my sincerest thanks to Jim for all of hard work and commitment over this entire period. With regard to his successor, and with the blessing of the FIFA president, we are pleased to inform you of the appointment of ." Fahmy, the letter continued, has been a member of the football family for quite some time, as CAF secretary general, as general coordinator at Soccer City during the recent World Cup, or in many other roles he has taken during his long career in football. "We are delighted that Mustapha has agreed to join us and we have no doubt whatsoever that he will be someone on whom we can fully rely. We are delighted to welcome Mustapha to FIFA." "It's a huge responsibility and I'm looking forward to the new challenge," Fahmy told Al-Ahram Weekly. Fahmy explained a misunderstanding regarding his job title: "People think that I am appointed as chairman of the Competitions Committee, which is not true. Commissions are different from divisions. My job is as director of the Competitions Division, which includes several departments for different competitions -- men, women, youth, beach... etc." By October, Fahmy will leave CAF headquarters in 6th of October City in Egypt and head for the home of FIFA in Zurich.
