Issa Hayatou, the former President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and a towering figure in global sports administration, passed away in Paris on Thursday at the age of 77, just one day shy of his 78th birthday.
Hayatou’s death has been met with widespread mourning across the football community both in Africa and around the world.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino expressed his sorrow at the news, paying tribute to Hayatou’s lifelong dedication to sports administration.
“I am deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Issa Hayatou, former CAF President, FIFA President ad interim, FIFA Vice President, and FIFA Council member,” Infantino stated. “He was a passionate advocate for sports and an esteemed member of the International Olympic Committee. On behalf of FIFA, I extend my condolences to his family, friends, former colleagues, and all who knew him. May he rest in peace.”
The President of CAF Dr Patrice Motsepe said: “ 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.”
President Motsepe has 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.
Hayatou, who previously served as President of the Cameroonian Football Association, held the position of FIFA President ad interim from October 2015 to February 2016. His tenure as CAF President spanned nearly three decades, from 1988 to 2017.
He was also a FIFA Council member from 1990 to 2017 and served as a FIFA Vice President. Additionally, Hayatou was a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) from 2001 to 2016, after which he was granted honorary membership.
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FIFA and African football community pay tribute to Issa Hayatou
