By Andrew Warshaw
September 10 – Jacques Anouma, one of Africa’s leading football administrators, has denounced the recent ruling banning anyone from outside the continent’s inner sanctum from challenging Issa Hayatou for the presidency of Confederation of African Football (CAF).
The contentious new electoral rule was adopted at CAF’s recent annual congress and effectively puts paid to the aspirations of figures such as Anouma (pictured top) and FIFA 2010 World Cup organiser Danny Jordaan from unseating Hayatou.
The amendment to the CAF statutes states that those members without Executive Committee voting rights are not eligible to run for the continent’s top football job.
The obvious knock-on effect is that Hayatou, who has run African football for 35 years but has been tarnished by allegations of corruption, will be re-elected unopposed next year.
Last year Hayatou (pictured below, left with FIFA President Sepp Blatter) was reprimanded by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for having accepted kickbacks from FIFA’s former marketing partner ISL although he claimed the money was to fund CAF 40th anniversary celebrations.
Anouma, from Ivory Coast, is one of Africa’s representatives on FIFA’s Executive Committee but is only an ex-officio member of CAF’s top brass.
Breaking his silence over being prevented from running against Hayatou, Anouma told the website footballisafrica.com that suggestions he had not opposed the amendment were totally wide of the mark.
“People who are against me keep circulating the news that I remained silent during the deliberations but the honest members [of the CAF Executive Committee] and the people who know me will not and cannot say this about me,” said Anouma.
“It is wrong to say that I have remained silent about this issue.
“The vote which took place in the Seychelles is far from matching the reality on the field.”
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