History of CAF - Hayatou's Era

Hayatou's Era

Issa Hayatou, who was President of the Fédération Camerounaise de Football (FECAFOOT) from 1986 to 1988, succeeded Tessema as CAF President at the General Assembly in Casablanca, in 1988. During the elections, Hayatou grabbed 22 votes as against 18 votes for the Togolese challenger Godfried Ekoué.

Under Hayatou' s leadership, African football has made giant strides. Until 1990, the African Cup of Nations paraded only eight finalists. However, through Hayatou's initiatives, this number has increased first in 1992 to 12 and since 1996 to 16 teams.

• The African Youth Championship was redesigned in 1991 and now features eight teams in a final tournament every two years.

• A competition for Under-17 has also followed suit since 1995. Three years later, a tournament for women, CAF Women Under-19 Championship was also staged.

• The African Cup of Champions Clubs has also undergone remarkable innovations. Since 1997 it has transformed into the CAF Champions League with huge prize monies to be won by the top placed clubs.

• In 2004, another international club competition, the CAF Confederation Cup, replaced both the CAF Cup and the African Cup Winners' Cup. It is played by teams who are runner-up in their local leagues as well as cup winners'. Prize money is also distributed to the top teams.

• Giant strides have been achieved in the area of technical development since Hayatou took charge of the organisation. From a budget of 100,000 US Dollars, this area now commands in excess of 2,000,000 US Dollars.

• CAF signed a protocol of understanding with UEFA in 1997 for the Meridian Project. As a result every two years UEFA-CAF Meridian Cup, an Under-18 Championship is held between teams from Africa and Europe. Also, every two years, UEFA supports two African national associations with financial and logistical assistance. Countries who have enjoyed this assistance include Chad, Namibia, Eritrea, Niger, Cape Verde and São Tomé and Príncipe.

• The confederation has moved to its new headquarters in the southern suburbs of Cairo in October 2002. The ultra-modern edifice has four floors sitting on 5,000 square metres not far from the Great Pyramids of Giza. It set it back as much as four million dollars.

• As a result of its extra earnings over years, CAF has undertaken from 2002 to pay the way of a delegate from each of the 53 member national associations to its General Assembly. This has boosted attendance and participation at all the next gatherings.

• Hayatou has personally seen to the increase in Africa's representation at the various international competitions. From two to three teams at the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States of America to five at the 1998 edition in France. Six African teams will feature at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

• It was under his leadership that an African country will finally stage the biggest football event in the world: The FIFA World Cup.

• Under his tenure African teams have acquitted themselves at various competitions. Cameroon and Senegal both reached the quarter-finals in 1990 FIFA World Cup and 2002 FIFA World Cup, respectively. Nigeria and Cameroon also won Olympic gold in 1996 and 2000.

• A developmental programme tagged Contract with Africa, which began in 2005, has also helped in stepping up grassroots, human resources and infrastructural growth across the continent. In 2005, a total of 1,300,000 US Dollars was allocated to 13 national associations namely Botswana, Malawi, Cape Verde, Gambia, Togo, Central African Republic, São Tomé and Príncipe, Djibouti, Eritrea and Rwanda. While in 2006, 13 other associations also received another 1,3000,000 US Dollars, which will be extended to more African national associations.

The Emergency Committee of the executive office of the African Football Confederation met on November 17, 2008, in Douala, Cameroon. The committee endorsed the candidatures for the forthcoming elections on the Executive Committee of CAF and FIFA to be held during the Congress in February 2009 in Lagos, Nigeria. Mr. Issa Hayatou, will go through the elections unopposed.

Today, CAF has 55 members, two members more than African Union as regard to Réunion and Zanzibar the CAF's associate members, unlike Western Sahara who is a member of the African Union but not of CAF.