Reports of the death of former Confederation of African Football (CAF) President Issa Hayatou have been dismissed as false.
Initial claims suggested that the long-serving football administrator had passed away in Cameroon due to illness, but sources close to Hayatou have confirmed that he is still alive.
Hayatou, who served as CAF president for 29 years, was defeated in the 2017 election by Ahmad Ahmad of Madagascar. During his tenure, he also held positions as a FIFA vice president and acting president following Sepp Blatter’s suspension.
However, Hayatou’s reputation suffered when he was banned for one year by FIFA’s ethics committee in 2021 for breaching “duty of loyalty” rules and fined 30,000 Swiss francs ($33,000). The ban stemmed from an investigation that revealed Hayatou had signed CAF into an anti-competitive agreement with French media rights agency Lagardère Sport.
Despite his ban from FIFA, Hayatou retains his honorary membership of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which he received after his 15-year membership ended in 2016.
Patrice Motsepe, a South African billionaire, currently serves as the CAF president.