Ahead of candidates from powerhouse nations Madagascar's Ahmad Ahmad wins election for new CAF president.
The Indian ocean island of Madagascar has stunned African football by providing the successful candidate to head the CAF, or continental federation.
Ahmad Ahmad won to general surprise over more favoured candidates, dethroning a dinosaur of international football, Cameroon’s Issa Hayatou, who ran the CAF for 30 years..
General view from the hall #CAFGA2017pic.twitter.com/KTyVisgCNN
— CAF (@CAF_Online) 16 mars 2017
Ahmad Ahmad is 57 and of a more modern stamp than his septuagenarian predecessor, but equally familiar with some old-fashioned practices.
Hayatou was controversial and often suspected of wrongdoing but Ahmad’s name came up in the corruption scandal around Qatar’s winning the 2022 World Cup bid. The Sunday Times accused him of receiving several tens of thousands of dollars in exchange for his vote.
The CAF’s new boss has one immediate priority; get 10 spots for African nations in the new 48-team World Cup.