OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Thursday 4.30pm.
THE battle lines have been drawn for control of African football with supremo Issa Hayatou of Cameroon facing opposition for the first time since taking charge 12 years ago.
African Football Confederation (CAF) president Hayatou, 53, a former international athlete who has twice been re-elected unopposed, will be challenged by Angolan Armando Machado.
However, observers believe Hayatou will coast to victory when delegates from the 52 member nations of CAF gather in Ghana on January 19 and 20 to choose their leader for the next four years.
Hayatou has scored notable successes for Africa, including increasing its representation at the World Cup from three teams to five in 1994 despite disappointing results by Cameroon and Morocco at the finals the same year.
The number of African Nations Cup qualifiers has doubled from eight teams to 16 and the event is televised worldwide thanks to the Cameroonian, who won a 400 metres gold medal at the 1973 All Africa Games in Nigeria.
Hayatou suffered a major embarrassment last year after promising Lennart Johansson of Sweden the support of Africa in his fight against Switzerland’s Sepp Blatter for the presidency of world governing body FIFA.
About half the African delegates sided with former FIFA secretary-general Blatter, who swept to victory after promising to bring the World Cup to Africa for the first time in 2006.
Egyptian Mohamed Ahmed is not seeking re-election as first vice-president of CAF and East Africans Farah Addo of Somalia and Joab Amino of Kenya are contesting the position. — AFP