Former Caf president lands new job

Former Confederation of African Football (CAF) president Issa Hayatou at a past event. PHOTO | FILE |

What you need to know:

  • In an interview then on pan-African television channel, Afrique Media, Ahmad said Caf stripped Cameroon of the hosting rights to avoid the 2010 experience, where some players came under attack by Angola's Cabinda separatists.
  • He said Caf paid dearly for the Cabinda incident and "can't take that risk again," with the country facing two major security threats; the Boko Haram insurgency in the north, and an armed separatist movement in the two English speaking regions.

Former Confederation of African Football (Caf) president, Issa Hayatou has been appointed as a special adviser of the 2020 African Nations Championship (Chan) and the 2021 African Cup of Nations (Afcon) organising committees.

The Cameroonian Ministry of Sports and Physical Education made the announcement to appoint the 73-year-old on September 14.

Hayatou’s 29-year reign at the helm of continental football body ended in 2017 following what sports chroniclers described as a shocking election loss to Madagascar’s Ahmad Ahmad.

Hayatou, who also served as acting Fifa president (2015-2016) has been serving as chairman of the board of directors of Cameroon’s National Football Academy.

Caf stripped Cameroon rights of hosting this year’s Afcon citing security and delays in infrastructural preparations, though critics saw the decision as a retort to Hayatou.

In an interview then on pan-African television channel, Afrique Media, Ahmad said Caf stripped Cameroon of the hosting rights to avoid the 2010 experience, where some players came under attack by Angola's Cabinda separatists.

He said Caf paid dearly for the Cabinda incident and "can't take that risk again," with the country facing two major security threats; the Boko Haram insurgency in the north, and an armed separatist movement in the two English speaking regions.