Hayatou: The latest African dictator

Dictators are allergic to reform, and they are cunning survivors. They will do whatever it takes to preserve their power and wealth, no matter how much blood ends up on their hands. They are master deceivers and talented manipulators who cannot be trusted to change – George Ayittey

The president of the Confederations of African Football (CAF), Dictator Issa Hayatou, should be given a round of applause for doing the unthinkable to Morocco. The self-styled president wanted to clamp down on dissent from member countries and handed out a $1 million fine inclusive of two AFCON-tournament ban on the Morrocan football federation and national teams, respectively.

Nobody saw such a punishment coming, well, except maybe his cohorts in the CAF executive committee who would not question his authority but follow behind their leader like chicks do the mother hen.

The imposing Cameroonian – a former athlete – has been at the helm of affairs of CAF since 1988 and does not seem like being stopped. He has seized the presidency to himself, changing CAF rules to allow his stay in power, reminiscent of the actions of Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe.

Let us look with sightly at the decision of CAF to ban Morocco. The North African nation was awarded hosting rights prior to the outbreak of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in some West African countries: a disease which spread its tentacles to the United States of America. The Moroccan government put the inhabitants of the country first, supporters from all over the world second and CAF’s financial rewards last. A disease that has no cure and spreads like wildfire upon human contact; common sense called for a postponement of the AFCON tourney. With several porous borders and a democratic setting the government was within its rights to withdraw its hosting rights.

While no other country in Africa openly showed interest due to the threat of the Ebola disease, it was Equatorial Guinea, a country coincidentally ruled by a dictator Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo and his family, that did. Although he must be commended for threading where no other African government dared, it is worth mentioning that a never-before-seen incident at an AFCON tourney happened during the semi-final clash between Ghana and the host nation. Fans of the host nation targeted the Ghanaian supporters with missile and the latter set of fans sought refuge on the pitch, leading to a 30-minute stoppage which only subsided with the sight of a helicopter hovering just above ground to scare off the violent fans. Violence at a tournament is highly frowned at and should be seriously clamped down. This incident was an opportunity for CAF to show its neutrality but Lord Hayatou goofed. He used the opportunity to further thank his fellow dictator, Obiang, making Morocco the scapegoat and blaming “western media” for reporting the truth. It was no surprise to hear FIFA president and foremost dictator of the football world, Sepp Blatter, support his cohort.

Hayatou, like other dictators, is not new to this sort of scandals. When the Togolese national team bus was attacked and some delegates killed, the nation withdrew from the tournament and this drew the ire of Lord Hayatou. The CAF president who is on his seventh term as head of the body slammed the tiny West African nation with a $50,000 fine and also banned the country from both 2012 and 2013 tournaments. Despite the worldwide outcry for this draconian penalty, the 68-year-old is still unrepentant to date.

Aside his inhumane attribute, he has been name-checked in several bribery scandals, the most prominent being collection of cash gift of  $1.5 million from Qatar in return for African votes for the hosting of the 2022 World Cup. This corrupt practice cost him his appointment as the president of FIFA’s Olympic committee. The 68-year-old Cameroonian, who hails from the Northern town of Garoua, was previously in 2010 indicted in a $100m (£64m) bribery scandal Nicolas Leoz, and Ricardo Teixeira. While the two CONMEBOL members resigned their positions on the FIFA executive committee, Lord Hayatou showed his African mentality by deciding to hold on to power and he was shielded by President Blatter. The reward is an unflinching support for Lord Blatter by member African countries under the stranglehold of Hayatou.

The sixth and longest-serving president of CAF, Hayatou was described as “a king” by FIFA president and elder brother Blatter on winning unopposed his seventh term in 2013. Halfway into his latest tenure, the athlete-turned-soccer-administrator is already seeking changes to CAF’s age rules which would make him eligible for another term. CAF rules requires officials who reach 70 to step down but Hayatou has already used his loyalist and executive committee member, Kwesi Nyantakyi of Ghana, as voice to announce his devious plans.

Abedi Pele is critical of Hayatou while only Ivorian FA chief, Jacques Anouma, is the only dissident in his cabinet that has dared to challenge him but has been swept aside. Will anyone else stand in Hayatou’s way come 2017? Let the dictatorship continue!