Now that Sepp Blatter, the most powerful man in world soccer, has been suspended from all soccer-related activities for the next 90 days, Issa Hayatou will serve as the interim FIFA President until a new one is appointed in February 2016 when the FIFA presidential elections happen.
But up until now, little is known by soccer fans around the world about Issa Hayatou. Who is he? And what do we need to know about him?
Here’s his fact file:
• President of Confederation of African Football (CAF) since 1988,
• Longest serving vice-president on FIFA’s Executive Committee,
• His nationality is Cameroonian,
• Ran for FIFA President in 2002, but was defeated by Blatter,
• In 2010, investigative reporter Andrew Jennings alleged that Hayatou had taken bribes in the 1990’s regarding the awarding of contracts for the sale of World Cup TV rights,
• In 2011, The Sunday Times reported that Hayatou had, along with a fellow FIFA ExCom member, accepted bribes of $1.5 million from Qatar to secure his support for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
• In 2011, Hayatou was reprimanded by the IOC’s ethics commission after he confirmed to them that he was paid by FIFA’s former marketing agency International Sport and Leisure in 1995.
With FIFA, even when there is change, nothing seems to change.
