Actually, starting any argy-bargy about the length of tenure of national and continental sports administrators is something of a humbug. The recurrent debate about Mr. Hayatou or Mr. Iya overstaying their welcome at the helm of football governing bodies is based on a wrong premise and is fueled by passion
I remember on this page, back in 2004, asking Mr. Hayatou not to run again. I did the same a year or so ago, as Mr. Iya was a shoo-in for yet another uneventful and senseless mandate. Mr. Hayatou and Mr. Iya have been there far too long to my liking and the liking of many others, but that should not be the sole basis of our loathing and contempt.
Staying long is not the exclusive preserve of African sports administrators. At FIFA, Jules Rimet chalked up 33 years, Havelange 24, and Blatter is nicely plodding along. UEFA cuts a different figure, with only Artemio Franchi staying 10 years at the helm in the early 70s. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC), a better comparator of CAF, had Abdul Rahman as its president for 18 years, but Mohamed Bin Hammam, who was elected in 2002, well after Mr. Hayatou took over at CAF, only stayed 9 years.
Mr. Hayatou has been president of CAF since 1988. What is scary about this is that he only had a chance to take over from Mr. Tessema upon the death of the latter. History could very well repeat itself, the probability being that Mr. Hayatou would quit CAF only when he is promoted to Allah’s glory. Which does not look likely to happen anytime soon, I am afraid to say.
What matters here, as time spent on the job seems to be relatively long everywhere, is performance. Has the governance or the game of football under the current CAF leadership, or much closer at home Fécafoot leadership, improved over the years under the very long reigns of their respective bosses? Mr. Hayatou’s claim to football fame is based on the increased representation of Africa in the final round of the World Cup. You cannot take that away from him. As for Mr. Iya’s performance, the jury is still out. Overall, Mr. Hayatou and Mr. Iya’s past performance is at best so-so. But what is damning is that these people are not likely to bring, no matter how long they keep their jobs, anything different or better than what we have seen so far. That is the main reason why they should be made to leave office.
Being vocal in radio and TV interviews serves very little purpose. Smart and articulate people like Joseph Antoine Bell know better. Mr. Hayatou and Mr. Iya will not just relinquish power because they are asked to do so. They will put up a fight anytime, and they have the means to sustain a long siege on any front. Even Mr. Bell seems to be begging, when actually he should be preparing himself and the rest of us to wrestle power away from these people.
We keep looking and hoping that death will eventually help us get rid of them while we can beat them if we really set our minds to it. We could play politics for once, because this is really what the name of the game is. Politics means numbers, the idea being to make the old Machiavellian “rapport de forces” tilt to our favour by all legitimate means possible. The Bells of all of Africa, it was hoped, could help by taking the lead in this battle. But we must report that most of them, great on the pitch, like George Weah, Rabah Majer, Laurent Pokou and a few other, are rather in cahoots with all the forces that prevent change and betterment. A case in point being our own Roger Milla who is working his way to oblivion as he becomes more and more irrelevant as a voice for improved governance in African football.
