1 month ago
1
The former President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Issa Hayatou, passed away on Thursday, just one day shy of his 78th birthday, following a prolonged illness.
The Cameroonian sports leader helmed CAF for nearly three decades, from 1988 until his unexpected removal in 2017.
Naija News reports that his death has prompted an outpouring of tributes from the football community.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino praised Hayatou as a “passionate sports fan” in an Instagram post on Thursday evening.
CAF President Patrice Motsepe issued a condolence message acknowledging Hayatou’s significant contributions to the development of African football. As a mark of respect, CAF and its member associations will fly their flags at half-mast until August 13, 2024.
Nigeria Football Federation President, Ibrahim Musa Gusau, expressed condolences to both the Cameroonian and broader African football communities.
Here are 10 things to know about the late football administrator:
1. Early Life and Education: Issa Hayatou was born on August 9, 1946, in Garoua, then under French Cameroon.
2. Career in Education: He worked as a physical education and sports teacher at Lycée Leclerc in Yaoundé from 1973 to 1974 and later served as the National Sports Director from 1982 to 1988.
3. Athletic Achievements: From 1964 to 1971, Hayatou was a national champion in the 400m and 800m, a member of the national basketball team, and a player for the university football team. He also represented Cameroon in athletics at the first African Games in Brazzaville in 1965.
4. Sports Administration Roles: Hayatou held various administrative positions in sports, including Secretary General (1974–1983), Vice President (1984–1986), and President (1986–1988) of the Cameroon Football Federation.
He joined the CAF Executive Committee and became its President in 1988. He was a member of FIFA’s Executive Committee starting in 1990 and served as Vice President in 1992.
Hayatou chaired multiple FIFA committees, including those organizing the World Cup and Confederations Cup, and led the Olympic Football Tournaments Committee from 1992 to 2006.
5. CAF Presidency: He was the President of CAF for 29 years, from 1988 to 2017, succeeded by Ahmad Ahmad of Madagascar.
6. FIFA World Cup 2010: Under his leadership, South Africa became the first African country to host the FIFA World Cup in 2010, a landmark event in African football history.
7. FIFA Interim Presidency: He served as FIFA’s interim president from October 2015 to February 2016 following Sepp Blatter’s suspension amid a bribery scandal.
8. 2002 FIFA Presidency Bid: Hayatou ran against Sepp Blatter for the FIFA presidency in 2002 but was defeated, with many African nations not supporting him.
9. International Olympic Committee: Beyond football, Hayatou was a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) from 2001 to 2020, contributing to global sports governance.
10. Honorary Degree: On November 3, 2007, he received an honorary degree in literature from Ladoke Akintola University of Technology in Ogbomosho, Oyo State, Nigeria.
English (US) ·