International Football
Loyalists Fell With Hayatou
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
It was like ‘Operation Sweep’ at the CAF election as virtually all the core loyalists of former president, Issa Hayatou lost their positions. The first major causality was Moucharafou Anjorin of Benin Republic who had twice in the past defeated two Nigerian candidates.
This time around, he met a mightier than Samson as Nigeria’s Amaju Pinnick took him to the cleaners with a 32 to17 votes defeat. Among the candidates for the FIFA seat among the Anglophone countries, it was sweet victory for Ghana’s Kwesi Nyantakyi, one of the allies of Amaju Pinnick in the plot that ousted President Issa Hayatou. He polled 33 votes to beat Tanzania’s Leodegar Tenga who had 17 votes.
Also, for the FIFA Council is Omar Constant Selemani of DR Congo who floored Sidy Diallo of Cote d’Ivoire.
Another disfavoured candidate that beat the odds was South Africa’s Danny Jordann who excelled in a field that had Frans Mbidi (Namibia), Rui Eduardo Da Costa (Angola) and Suketu Patel (Seychelles).