Issa Hayatou, the Camrrounian who reigned in the world football space for almost three decades passed on Thursday in Paris.
He died hours to his 78th birthday.
His legacies in African football is legendary as he displayed rare qualities that earned him the accolade of African pillar of sports.
The administrator served the game in the continent for 29 years, ensuring some massive changes to benefit the players.
The Cameroonian remains the longest-serving president in the confederation, having led Caf from 1988 to 2017 before being ousted by Malagasy challenger Ahmad Ahmad in his bid to win the seventh term.
Hayatou was a respected personnel by the World Football Governing Body, Fifa. He served as an executive committee member of the Switzerland-based organization from 1990 to 2017.
What were Hayatou’s achievements and shortcomings?
During his time as the Caf President, African representation at the Fifa World Cup grew from just two to five, while the Africa Cup of Nations teams grew from eight to 16 teams.
Under his leadership African spots at the World Cup grew from two to five, while the Africa Cup of Nations was extended from eight to 16 teams.
Between 2015 and 2016, Hayatou served as an interim Fifa president after Sepp Blatter’s suspension owing to alleged corruption matters.
The former Caf head was banned by Fifa for a year in August 2021 after irregularity in signing an African football deal with a French media firm Lagardere in 2016. However, he successfully appealed the ban and it was overturned in February 2022 by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.