In a statement released Monday, the International Federation of American Football (IFAF) confirms that the French Prefecture de la Seine-Saint-Denis has verified that Roope Noronen is officially recognized as the president of the international governing body of American football.
Does this mean an immediate change in the standoff between the two warring factions?
It would not seem likely. It appears a legal case has been opened by the lawyers representing Wiking and his group contesting the validity of Noronen as president under French law.
The contention is that Wiking did not formally resign, only announcing his intention to do so. In fact, the president of the Irish federation, Mr. Michael Smith, issued a statement in February in which he contends that he had never seen any communication from Wiking that he intended to resign.
However, this email sent on February 3, 2015 by Mr. Wiking himself, would seem to refute that statement.
So it would appear that lawyers will have to determine whether this email can be construed as a formal resignation.
It would be hoped that somehow these two sides would use this as a means of patching up their differences. That does not seem likely, though. In fact, this information raises more questions than it answers.
Who then has control of the bank accounts? Can Wiking continue to remain in charge of the finances of IFAF when he is not officially the president?
AFI offered the beleaguered Wiking an opportunity to answer a series of questions about the situation but he declined. Moreover, his legal woes in Sweden have not disappeared at this point according to the Swedish authorities.
How long has Wiking known of this? The prefecture issued a confirmation of Noronen as president on January 12.
Was Wiking privy to this communication? If so, should he have announced an extraordinary congress for later this month before this matter was resolved?
Are all the member federations aware of what has transpired over the past 24 months? While this dispute continues, what actual work is IFAF able to do?
Who is really looking after the interests of American football internationally? Most importantly perhaps, can IFAF actually continue to operate in its current form?
The questions continue. When will we get more answers?