Former president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Issa Hayatou, has handed away on the age of 77.
His dying comes only a day earlier than his 78th birthday, having been born on August 9, 1946, in Garoua, Cameroon.
“We have misplaced an important chief, a person who devoted his life to the expansion of soccer in Africa. His legacy will proceed to encourage us as we transfer ahead in our mission to develop the game on the continent,” a spokesperson from CAF is quoted as saying by Cameroon Concord.
Issa Hayatou’s storied profession
Hayatou served as CAF’s president from 1988 to 2017 and was instrumental in getting Africa’s slots on the FIFA World Cup elevated from two to 5.
It was additionally beneath his tenure that South Africa hosted the World Cup in 2010, changing into the first-ever African nation to host the match.
He was, nevertheless, voted out from workplace after he misplaced in CAF presidential election to Malagasy contender Ahmad Ahmad.
Hayatour’s profession additionally noticed him function FIFA’s senior vice chairman throughout the tenures of three totally different presidents – Joao Havelange, Sepp Blatter and Gianni Infantino.
He additionally grew to become the interim president of FIFA from October 2015 to February 2016 when Sepp Blatter was suspended over a bribery scandal.
Before his demise, he had additionally served as an Honourary Member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) since 2017.
Tributes have poured in from far and close to following Hayatou’s dying, with sports activities journalists from throughout Africa expressing their condolences on social media.
