Issa Hayatou

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Issa Hayatou (9 August 1946 – 8 August 2024) was a Cameroonian sports executive, athlete, and football administrator. He led the Confederation of African Football (CAF) from 1988 to 2017, making him one of the longest-serving presidents in African football. He also held senior roles at FIFA, serving as Senior Vice-President from 1992 to 2017 and acting FIFA president from October 2015 until February 2016 after Sepp Blatter was banned.

Hayatou ran for FIFA president in 2002 but was defeated by Blatter. He was a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and later became an honorary IOC member.

As CAF president, Hayatou oversaw significant growth in African football. The Africa Cup of Nations expanded from 8 to 16 teams, and Africa gained more World Cup spots. He helped organize Africa’s first World Cup hosting bid and the 2010 tournament in South Africa. He also expanded CAF club competitions and increased the reach of youth, women’s, futsal, and beach soccer programs. Projects such as the Meridian Project with UEFA and the Goal Project with FIFA provided financial support to African football.

His career also included controversy. The BBC and other sources reported bribery allegations related to World Cup broadcasting rights in the 1990s, and there were investigations into various claims over the years. Hayatou denied some accusations, and others were investigated by the IOC and FIFA.

In 2017, he lost the CAF presidency to Ahmad Ahmad after nearly three decades in office. That year, he was also named President of Cameroon’s National Football Academy by President Paul Biya. Hayatou was born in Garoua, in what was then French Cameroon, the son of a sultan, and he was a former middle-distance runner who helped develop football in Cameroon. He died in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, on 8 August 2024, a day before his 78th birthday. He was survived by his wife and four children.