Former President of the Confederation of African Football, Issa Hayatou had died.
A former 400 and 800 meters champion of Cameroon, who served as President of CAF fron March 1988 to March 2017, passed away after a protracted illness in the French capital, Paris on the eve of his 78th birthday.
President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Ibrahim Gusau, has commiserated with the Cameroonian and African football families over Hayatou’s passing.
He described Hayatou as a man of strong character and integrity.
The Cameroonian who served as Secretary of his country’s football governing body, FECAFOOT in the seventies was elected CAF President in Morocco in 1988, taking office from interim boss, Dr Abdelhalim Mohamed, who had stepped in the previous year following the death of Dr. Ydnekatchew Tessema of Ethiopia.
Born in the northern Cameroonian town of Garoua, Hayatou was also a member of the International Olympic Committee, IOC and served as Acting President of world football ruling body FIFA for 4 months and 18 days from October 8 2015 to February 26, 2016 following the suspension of Sepp Blatter, prior to the election of Gianni Infantino.
After 29 years in office as CAF President, Hayatou lost the bid for a fresh term in an election won by Ahmad of Madagascar at an elective Congress in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa on the 16th of March 2017.
Meanwhile, CAF President, Dr. Patrice Motsepe has requested that the CAF flag and the flags of all CAF Member Associations be flown at half-mast for a period of five days, until August 13 in honour of Hayatou.
