Issa Hayatou: “I’m neither yearning for high positions nor panting for money!

The President of the “CAF” Football Confederation, Issa Hayatou, has again indulged in “demagogical”, statement by claiming without blinking that he’s a clean official, adding that he doesn’t want to cling to monopolistic positions and is not intent on accumulating funds.

This came out in a speech made by Issa Hayatou on the eve of the winding up of the activities of the 2017 African Cup of Nations competition hosted by Gabon, last Sunday evening.

Issa Hayatou said: “I spent a considerable part of my lifetime and thereby neglected my health and my family members because of African football management, is money can compensate me for this loss”, as he put it.

Surprisingly enough, Issa Hayatou (71 years) who has been presiding over the “CAF” since 1988 (nearly a third of the century), is yet planning to vie again for an eighth term in office by succeeding himself in the upcoming elections of the Confederation of African Football slated for next March.

However, Issa Hayatou will have to face this time another hopeful candidate in the forthcoming CAF polls. In this respect, the head of Madagascar FA Ahmad Ahmad has declared his candidature to challenge long-serving Confederation of African Football (CAF) leader Issa Hayatou in March’s presidential elections.

CAF Executive Committee met on Thursday in the Gabonese capital, Libreville and approved the two men to stand for the 2017-2021 presidential elections.

Ahmad, 57, is a member of the CAF Executive Committee, and is currently in his third term of office with Madagascar Football Federation. He was retained unopposed, polling 21 of the 22 votes, representing more than the required 50 percent plus one.

Hayatou, who has ruled the African game since 1988, also is seeking an eighth term. The 71-year old was re-elected unopposed during the last CAF elections in 2013.

Previously, the Cameroonian had stated this term would be his last until a change of regulations altered his standpoint. In 2015, CAF voted to change the statutes which previously stopped officials serving past the age of 70 and this paved the way for Hayatou to stand in the election.

He is already CAF’s longest-serving ruler, having led the organization for 29 years, and still counting.

The elections will take place in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa when the organization celebrates its 60th year of existence.