Sports: Issa Hayatou Unseated As CAF President After 29 Years

The Confederation of African Football (Caf) has only ever had five presidents in its 60-year history and the last time a new leader was appointed was way back in 1988. 

Hayatou, in charge for nearly three decades, has often been re-elected unopposed. On the two occasions when he did face a challenge, he won with landslides amongst the electorate of presidents of Africa's football associations.
In 2000, he beat Angola's Armando Machado by 47-4 votes and four years later he defeated Ismail Bhamjee of Botswana by 46-6 votes.

Madagascar Football Association chief Ahmad Ahmad has been elected Confederation of African Football president, ending Issa Hayatou’s 29-year reign as CAF President.

Ahmad won 34 of the 54 votes in the election, which was held in Addis Ababa on Thursday.
The result means a change in leadership for the first time since Cameroonian Hayatou took charge in 1988.

Ahmad becomes only the seventh Caf president in the governing body’s 60-year history.
The departure of Hayatou is a huge change for African football and the 70-year-old will also lose his Fifa position and his place on the ruling council of world football’s governing body.
He had been challenged for the Caf presidency only twice before and both times won with landslide victories.

Caf former presidents

• Abdel Aziz Abdallah Salem (1957-1958)

• Abdel Aziz Moustafa (1958-1968)

• Abdel Halim Muhammad (1968-1972)

• Yidnekatchew Tessema (1972-1987)

• Abdel Halim Muhammad (1987-1988)
• Issa Hayatou (1988-2017)
• Ahmad Ahmad (2017 - present)

16 March