Gusau said Hayatou was a great and much-loved leader of African football who did his best to leave the continent’s football greater than he met it
By Kehinde Okeowo
President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Ibrahim Musa Gusau has expressed sadness over the passing of the former President of Confederation of African Football (CAF), Issa Hayatou.
Gusau made his feelings known via a statement released by the NFF, where he also commiserated with Cameroonians.
Hayatou died after a protracted illness in the French capital, Paris, on the eve of his 78th birthday.
He spent 29 years at the head of African football governing body, assuming the presidency in 1988 and leaving office in 2017.
He also held high positions within world governing body Fifa and was a member of the Switzerland-based organisation’s executive committee, now known as the Fifa council, from 1990 to 2017.
He had a brief spell as acting president of Fifa between 2015 and 2016 after Sepp Blatter was suspended.
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Speaking while mourning him in the statement issued, Gusau said, “The NFF and the entire Nigeria football family are terribly saddened by the death of Alhaji Issa Hayatou.
“He was a great and much-loved leader of African football and did his best to leave African football greater than he met it.”
He added, “Alhaji Hayatou was a man of strong character and integrity. We love him but God loves him more.
“We pray that Almighty Allah will grant him eternal rest and also grant the Cameroonian, nay African football family the fortitude to bear the loss.”
In August 2021, Hayatou was handed a one-year ban by Fifa for breaching its code of ethics when signing African football’s largest ever deal with French media company Lagardere in 2016.
The sanction was, however, overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in February the following year.