The meeting was chaired by Tommy Wiking of Sweden, who is still laying claim to the Presidency of the governing body, despite the French Prefecture de la Seine-Saint-Denis legally declaring that Roope Noronen of Finland is the head of the organisation.

Wiking has since launched legal action to try and get the decision overturned and it has been reported that the Swede is listed on filed paperwork as the IFAF President, resulting in the confusing state the organisation finds itself in with two men claiming the role.

It has been claimed that Noronen has been prevented from acting as the head of the governing body by the French courts until the legal case has been settled.

A first court hearing was held on March 17.

The Extraordinary Congress, the legitimacy of which has also allegedly been questioned by several key American football nations, conducted a secret ballot vote where members unanimously confirmed their trust in the Presidium and Executive Board in a vote of trust despite the legitimacy of the group led by Wiking remaining unclear.

The National Federations from Belgium, Bulgaria, Costa Rica, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Ireland, Kuwait, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Russia, Spain, and Turkey were present for the meeting.

Georgia, Luxembourg, Turkmenistan, and El Salvador were all added as new members in the French capital, according to the IFAF Facebook page.

The page also claimed that IFAF vice-president Robert Huber of Germany was appointed to the position of IFAF senior vice-president and Sahin Komurcu of Turkey was elected as vice-president, while Frenchman Michel Daum and Namdev S. Shirgaonker of India were chosen as members of the Executive Board.

It is still not known whether the decisions made at the Congress in Paris can be considered as official, with the ongoing legal case further deepening the row within IFAF.

The leadership of the body is shrouded in controversy and is still uncertain after Wiking offered his resignation as President last February following the collapse of the World Championships in Sweden but then changed his position.

IFAF senior vice-president Mac Kaneuji served as the organisation’s acting head until Noronen was elected President at the 2015 Congress.

The debacle began last year at the re-arranged World Championships in Ohio as a group led by Wiking stormed out of the Congress and held their own meeting in the lobby of the hotel in Canton, reportedly following Wiking being unable to chair it.

Both Congresses in Ohio and Paris have been rubber-stamped by the French Prefecture, which has raised further confusion.

Since then, a cloud has hovered over the governing body and insidethegames understands the Court of Arbitration for Sport is likely to have the final say in the matter.

“The meeting was held to ratify formal decisions which legally could not be, finalised during the last IFAF Congress on July 17, 2015 in Ohio, USA,” a statement on the IFAF Facebook page read.

“These matters needed immediate attention, largely due to IFAF’s consistent and ongoing review by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

“The IOC maintains frequent and constant connection with potential Olympic sports and the current status in regards to Olympic recognition.”

insidethegames has contacted IFAF secretary general Zorica Hofman for comment.