Burkina - FBF: new texts for better governance

In Burkina Faso, three months before the Burkinabè Football Federation (FBF) elects a new leadership team, figures from Burkinabè football have decided to meet behind closed doors at the FBF's national technical centre to overhaul eight of the nine texts that govern the running of the institution. The aim is to reach consensus and avoid the kind of crises that have shaken the game in recent years.

Read also: Burkina: what future for local footballers after the crisis?

The texts concerned are the statutes, the internal regulations, the electoral code and the internal regulations of the General Assembly. Updating them will not only bring them into line with the current development of the game but also take account of what the stakeholders involved expect. It will also allow the Federation to comply with the regulations of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) and those of the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

At the next elections, the president will not be elected on his own; instead, voting will be for a list of 21 members. Speaking to Sport News Africa, Jean Claude Ramdé, vice-president of the technical review commission, gave further explanation: "Before, only the president of the Federation was elected, and he in turn put together his bureau, his executive committee. Now we have moved to a list election. The president comes forward with a list of 20 people. And it is that list which is elected at the general assembly."

Permanent commissions for good governance ...

According to the vice-president of the technical review commission, Jean Claude Ramdé, the changes have made it possible to create sixteen permanent bodies that will be the driving force behind the democratic functioning of the Burkinabè Football Federation (FBF). "There are also permanent commissions that we have created. They will take into account the evolution of football and the current context of football worldwide. We have created sixteen permanent commissions, which will therefore be the driving force behind the running of the Federation."

Obstacles encountered...

One of the difficulties encountered during the general assembly was the number of votes allocated to the various components. At that stage, votes had to be held to set the quotas. From now on, men's Ligue 1 clubs will be entitled to three votes each, as will the regional leagues. Women's Ligue 1 clubs will have to settle for two electoral votes each. "I don't think it will be a problem to give more votes to the men's side because, as you know, the men started a very long time ago and there is a lot of experience at that level. It's better organised. You know that women's football is still at an amateur stage, so we also need to show women's football the way forward so that it can reach the men's level," said Boureima Sanna, president of the Ligue du Plateau, trying to clarify the position.

The Burkinabè Football Federation's new texts also approve the participation of certain associations in the sector in the governing body's various general assemblies, even though for now they will not have an electoral vote.

The election of the next FBF president will take place on Saturday 17 August 2024 and, according to several stakeholders, this overhaul will not prevent the vote from being held on schedule. The current FBF president was elected on Saturday 20 August 2020 in Bobo-Dioulasso, succeeding Sita Sangaré.