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Former President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Issa Hayatou died on Thursday at the age of 77.
Hayatou was CAF president between 1988 and 2017.
CAF President, Dr Patrice Motsepe mourned the demise of Hayatou, saying he is saddened by the passing of former CAF President.
Motsepe said: “I express my deepest personal condolences and the condolences of the 54 CAF Member Associations, on the passing of CAF former President, President Issa Hayatou; to his family, the Fédération Camerounaise de Football, its President Samuel Eto’o and the people of Cameroon.
“CAF and African Football will forever be grateful to President Hayatou for his enormous and far-reaching contributions, over many years to the development and growth of football in Africa. He will forever live in our hearts and minds.”
Motsepe requested that the CAF flag and the flags of all CAF Member Associations fly at half-mast for a period of five days, until 13 August 2024.
“May President Issa Hayatou’s Soul Rest in Peace,” he said.
Born on 9 August, 1946, Hayatou asides being CAF President, also served as the acting FIFA president until 26 February 2016 as the previous president Sepp Blatter was banned from all football-related activities in 2015 as a part of the that year’s FIFA corruption investigation.
In 2002, he ran for president of FIFA but was defeated by Blatter. He was also a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
In November 2010, he was alleged by the BBC to have taken bribes in the 1990s regarding the awarding of World Cup television rights. The IOC announced it would investigate him.
Following the 2015 FIFA corruption case, Hayatou took charge of FIFA, as the acting president, until 26 February 2016 when Gianni Infantino was elected to the position.
On 16 March 2017, he was defeated by Malagasy challenger Ahmad Ahmad, ending Hayatou’s 29-year reign as the CAF President.
On 24 May 2017, he was appointed President of the National Football Academy by the president of Cameroon, Paul Biya.
