CAMEROONIAN Issa Hayatou has been re-elected unopposed as Confederation of African Football (CAF) president for a final four-year term in office. The 66-year-old, who was voted into power in 1988, has already said this seventh term will be his final as head of the organisation. Hayatou, who was applauded by delegates at the CAF congress in Marrakech, also received a special certificate from FIFA to commemorate his silver jubilee on the executive committee. Ivorian Jacques Anouma wanted to oppose Hayatou at the elections, but a rule change prevented him from doing so. His attempt to overturn the decision to disqualify non-executive members from the election was rejected by the Court of Arbitration For Sport (CAS). Hayatou used his re-election to make reference to Anouma's challenge. “The presidents of the federations approved an amendment preventing a few of them from participating in the race for the CAF presidency, which now permits only those who have held positions of responsibility within the institution to run for presidency,” Hayatou told delegates. “The conduct of the Executive Committee along with the members of national associations during this case was exemplary. The principle of sovereignty of the General Assembly was recognised by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.” Hayatou, the son of a sultan from the northern city of Garoua, represented Cameroon at basketball and middle-distance running. He is the fifth CAF president and by far the longest serving. On the other hand, Danny Jordaan, South Africa's 2010 World Cup chief, has failed in another bid for a major administrative position. Jordaan was a candidate for a place on the Confederation of African Football's executive committee at Sunday's congress in Marrakech He narrowly lost out to Madagascar's Ahmad, who uses only one name, after the votes went to a second poll. Amadou Diakite of Mali and Benin's Moucharafou Anjorin also won seats. This was Jordaan's second bid to join African football's inner cabinet. He also failed to win one of the places reserved for Africa on the FIFA executive committee, withdrawing his candidacy at the last minute. Last year Jordaan gave up a bid for the presidency of the southern African regional body Cosafa. Diakite of Mali, banned for two years in November 2010 by FIFA over allegations of bribery in the vote-buying scandal surrounding the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bids, returned to Africa's executive committee with an overwhelming majority. Diakite was one of five incumbents who kept their places, including CAF Vice- President Suketu Patel of the Seychelles. He retained his seat from the southern African zone. Anjorin beat off the Nigerian Football Federation president Aminu Maigari in a run-off for one of the west African berths. Anjorin was arrested two years ago on allegations of embezzling sponsorship money and spent more than six months in jail. CAF said they would hold their next congress in Brazil on the eve of the 2014 World Cup but there are no elections due again until 2015.
