President of Beninese Football Federation Mathurin de Chacus has officially withdrawn his candidacy from the FIFA Council election, minutes ahead of the final vote in Cairo, Egypt on Wednesday.
De Chacus, a very respected figure in African football, formally notified the CAF General Secretariat of his withdrawal on grounds of personal reasons and desire to focus on local football development in Benin.
His withdrawal comes as a surprise, considering that he had earlier been considered a dark-horse candidate with considerable backing from some West African federations.
Sources close to the Beninese FA reveal that de Chacus found it difficult to mobilize sufficient votes against heavyweights like Morocco’s Fouzi Lekjaa, Nigeria’s Amaju Pinnick, and Senegal’s Augustin Senghor.
His quiet campaign, coupled with the popularity of more politically powerful candidates, may have led him to withdraw.
His withdrawal from the election moderately changes the dynamics of the elections, with the remaining nine candidates competing for five positions on the FIFA Council.
While de Chacus is a very well-respected football administrator, his withdrawal is sure to impact the position of Benin in future CAF and FIFA decision-making.
As the vote takes place later today, the battle to represent Africa on football’s most powerful ruling body is expected to be bitter.
