CAF: the beginning of the story

CAIRO – 28 June 2017: The African Football Confederation (CAF) is the governing body for football in the African continent. It was founded in 1957 and its founding members were Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia and South Africa. The headquarters of the CAF, which now consists of 54 members, are in Egypt.

The guiding force behind the establishment of the CAF was a proposal that emerged outside the borders of the African continent in Lisbon, Portugal, in June 1956, when the Portuguese capital was hosting a FIFA conference.

The conference was attended by four of African countries (Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia and South Africa), who presented the idea of the CAF at this gathering during the discussion of issues of common interest.

After the conference the four African countries met again in Khartoum in February 1957 to draft the statute of the confederation and discuss the launching of the first African Cup of Nations.

On February 10, 1957 the Sudanese capital witnessed the establishment of the first African Cup of Nations, which Egypt won; the Constitutional Law of CAF was signed in Khartoum on June 8, 1957.

Abdullah Salem was appointed as the first president of the federation, according to CAF official website.