President of Nigeria Football Federation(NFF),Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau, has commiserated with the African football family as a whole, following the death on Thursday of former President of Confederation of African Football, Alhaji Issa Hayatou.
A statement issued by the Federation read, “The NFF and the entire Nigeria football family are terribly saddened by the death of Alhaji Issa Hayatou. He was a great and much-loved leader of African football and did his best to leave African football greater than he met it.
“Alhaji Hayatou was a man of strong character and integrity. We love him but God loves him more. We pray that
Almighty Allah will grant him eternal rest and also grant the Cameroonian, nay African football family the fortitude to bear the loss.”
Hayatou, who served as Secretary of the Federation Camerounaise de Football (FECAFOOT) in the 1970s, was elected CAF President on the margin of the 1988 Africa Cup of Nations finals in Morocco, to take office from interim boss, Dr Abdelhalim Mohamed, who had stepped in the previous year following the death of Dr. Ydnekatchew Tessema.
The Cameroonian, who served as President of CAF between 10th March 1988 – 16th March 2017, Hayatou died after a protracted illness in the French capital, Paris on the eve of his 78th birthday.
Hayatou was also a member of the International Olympic Committee, and served as Acting President of football’s world-ruling body FIFA for 4 months and 18 days (8th October 2015 – 26 February 2016) following the suspension of Sepp Blatter and prior to the election of Gianni Infantino.
