CAF President Issa Hayatou Defends Blatter and Dismisses Corruption Allegations
By BBC Sport Africa
Confederation of African Football (CAF) president Issa Hayatou has firmly denied any involvement in recent corruption scandals engulfing world football and has reiterated his support for embattled FIFA president Sepp Blatter.
In an interview with Jeune Afrique, the long-serving Cameroonian football chief dismissed allegations implicating African officials in bribery related to World Cup bidding processes. Hayatou, who has led CAF since 1988, remains adamant that he has done nothing wrong.
“I have nothing to fear because I have done nothing,” Hayatou said. “My conscience is clear.”
The FIFA corruption scandal, which erupted in 2015, has led to the arrest and indictment of several high-ranking officials and cast a shadow over previous World Cup bidding processes, including those for the 1998, 2010, and 2022 tournaments. Questions have been raised about the role of African votes, with some whistleblowers suggesting improper conduct.
When asked about alleged bribes in connection with Morocco’s 1998 bid and South Africa’s successful 2010 campaign, Hayatou firmly rejected any knowledge of wrongdoing.
“How do you expect me to know? No one came to me to tell me,” he responded, distancing himself from the claims.
He also directly addressed accusations made by Phaedra Almajid, a former communications officer for Qatar’s 2022 World Cup bid, who alleged that Hayatou, along with fellow African officials Amos Adamu and Jacques Anouma, was offered bribes in exchange for supporting Qatar’s bid.
“I have never seen this woman in my life,” Hayatou declared. “She claims we met with people from Qatar in a hotel in Angola. Where? When? She said it once, then admitted she lied. A year later, she repeats her accusations. She talks nonsense! We asked her to provide evidence. She hasn’t provided any.”
Hayatou has long been a close ally of Sepp Blatter and reiterated his support for the FIFA president despite mounting global pressure on Blatter to step down amid growing investigations and calls for reform within the sport’s governing body.
His defiant stance comes as CAF itself faces calls for greater transparency and accountability. However, Hayatou appears unmoved by the controversies, maintaining that he remains committed to his role and untainted by the allegations surrounding both CAF and FIFA.
As football’s governing bodies scramble to repair their reputations, Hayatou’s denial underscores the divide between those seeking reform and those standing by long-established leadership figures. Whether this defiance will be enough to shield African football from the growing storm remains to be seen.
