Issa Hayatou has received a boost in his bid to extend his 28-year long stay as President of the Confederation of African Football ©Getty Images

Issa Hayatou has received a boost in his bid to extend his 28-year long stay as President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) after the continental governing body’s Extraordinary General Assembly upheld a contentious statute that hands him a significant advantage.

During the gathering held at CAF’s headquarters in Egypt’s capital Cairo, the General Assembly rejected a proposal from the Djibouti Football Federation to end a rule, introduced just four years ago, that restricted potential candidates for the Presidency to only members of its 12-man Executive Committee.

The rule - which bars even the current Football Association (FA) Presidents and any other stakeholders from vying for leadership - has been seen as an attempt by Hayatou to hand-pick his successor, and, if he chooses, extend his own term of office.

The Djibouti motion had specifically sought to repeal the earlier law passed by the same membership in Seychelles back in 2012.

The proposal was defeated, however, for failing to gather the approval of at least 75 per cent of the votes cast among CAF’s 53 members.

A total of 32 Federations rejected it, with 16 in favour and five abstentions.

This would suggest that a majority of the current serving FA Presidents have no intention of succeeding the 70-year-old Hayatou, who was in temporary charge of FIFA until the election of Gianni Infantino.

Issa Hayatou was in temporary charge of FIFA until the election of Gianni Infantino (pictured) ©Getty Images
Issa Hayatou was in temporary charge of FIFA until the election of Gianni Infantino (pictured) ©Getty Images

It was also confirmed at the General Assembly that Kwesi Nyantakyi, President of the Ghana FA, and Guinea’s Almamy Kabele Camara, a CAF vice-president, will fill two new CAF seats on the FIFA Council.

Camara tallied 37 votes, while Nyantakyi garnered 31, Madagascar's Ahmad 30, and Senegal’s Augustin Senghor nine.

Camara and Nyantakyi will hold their seats only until March 17, when they face re-election at the next CAF Congress, which is scheduled to be held in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa.

Their election brings the number of Africans on the 36-strong FIFA Council to seven with the duo joining Hayatou, Egypt’s Hani Abo Rida, the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Constant Omari, Tunisia’s Tarek Bouchamaoui and Burundi’s Lydia Nsekera.

A meeting of the expanded Council is due to take place in Zurich on October 13 and 14, when talks to expand the 2026 World Cup to 40 teams are expected to begin. 

Infantino was present at the General Assembly, accompanied by his new secretary general, Fatma Samoura.

"Africa has a very important role in football," said the FIFA head.

"We have to move into action and let's give Africa the place it deserves in world football.

"Africa will benefit most from a proposed increase in the football investment programme.

"It is my wish that a 40-team World Cup will have at least two more slots for Africa.

"CAF must support FIFA to make this possible."