Former African football supremo Issa Hayatou dead at 78

Paris: The former leader of the Confederation of African Football, Issa Hayatou, has died at the age of 78, his compatriot Samuel Eto o announced on F...

Paris: The former leader of the Confederation of African Football, Issa Hayatou, has died at the age of 78, his compatriot Samuel Eto'o announced on Friday.

Former Barcelona star Eto'o, who is currently the president of the Cameroonian Football Federation, called Hayatou a "trailblazer of modern African football".

Hayatou was head of CAF from 1998 to 2017, overseeing a period in which the number of World Cup finals places awarded to African nations rose from three to five.

Before his tenure at CAF Hayatou headed Fecafoot from 1986 to 1988.

He was also a member of FIFA's Executive Council and the International Olympic Committee.