… 69-year-old football administrator with 25 years executive experience
FIFA on Thursday named Cameroonian Issa Hayatou as acting president of the world football governing body during Sepp Blatter’s three-month suspension.
This is the first time an African man will take the role of FIFA president.
Hayatou who doubles as President of Confederation of African Football (CAF) and acting president of FIFA will manage the affairs of FIFA till the next election in 2016.
The Cameroonian will steer the organization towards an election next February to replace Blatter, while Swiss and U.S. authorities continue their investigations into corruption at the highest levels of the sport.
Issa Hayatou, 69, the acting president of FIFA following the 90-day suspension of Sepp Blatter, is a prime example of a long-serving FIFA chief.
Hayatou is the son of a sultan from northern Cameroon who has ruled African soccer for 27 years.
FIFA said on Thursday that Hayatou’s status as the body’s senior vice president elevates him to acting president during Blatter’s 90-day suspension.
Hayatou’s ascension to the top job comes 13 years after he challenged and lost to Blatter in an acrimonious FIFA election.
A former physical education teacher and athlete, Hayatou comes from a well-connected family — his older brother was prime minister of Cameroon and he became Secretary General of the Cameroon Football Federation at 28, the head of the sports ministry in his mid-30s and president of the Confederation of African Football by 41.
He is a veteran of FIFA affairs but so far he has managed to avoid the corruption scandals involving other senior figures, although not without also being targeted by accusations.
In 2011, Hayatou was officially reprimanded by the I.O.C., of which he is also a member, for receiving $20,000 from a sports marketing company in a FIFA kickbacks scandal. Hayatou claimed the money was used for genuine development programs by his African soccer confederation.
He was also accused, along with another African official, of accepting $1.5 million in bribes to vote for Qatar to host the 2022 World Cup. That heavily tarnished vote is a focus of one of the investigations by U.S. and Swiss authorities into long-running corruption at FIFA.
Hayatou denied any wrongdoing, as does Qatar, and his response to the accusations, like any criticism of him over the years, has been to hit back. He denounced allegations of vote rigging by a British newspaper as Western bias.
Despite being the most senior executive at FIFA after Blatter, Hayatou said he “will not be a candidate” for the presidency in the Feb. 26 election.
After being confirmed as acting president, The Confederation of African Football (CAF) president was quick to say he would not seek the job permanently, but pledged to “dedicate my best efforts to the organization.”
“I pledge that I will dedicate my best efforts to the organization, the member associations, our employees, our valued partners, and football fans everywhere,” Hayatou said.
The Cameroonian will steer the organization towards an election next February to replace Blatter, while Swiss and U.S. authorities continue their investigations into corruption at the highest levels of the sport.
“FIFA remains committed to the reform process, which is critical to reclaiming public trust. We will also continue to cooperate fully with authorities and follow the internal investigation wherever it leads,” he added.
“Football has never enjoyed greater support throughout the world, and that is something everyone associated with FIFA should be proud of.”
“FIFA remains committed to the reform process, which is critical to reclaiming public trust,” Hayatou said in a statement issued by world football governing body.
“We will also continue to cooperate fully with authorities and follow the internal investigation wherever it leads.”
Platini was considered the front-runner to be Blatter’s successor, but the suspension could prevent him from running. Another possible candidate, Chung Mong-joon, was suspended for six years by FIFA in a separate case on Thursday.
Anthony Nlebem
