Reports of the death of former Confederation of African Football (CAF) President Issa Hayatou have been dismissed as false.

Initial claims stated that the long-serving football administrator had passed away in his native Cameroon due to illness, but sources close to Hayatou have confirmed that he is still alive.
Hayatou served as CAF president for 29 years before being defeated in the 2017 election by Ahmad Ahmad of Madagascar.
During his tenure, he also held positions as a FIFA vice president and acting president following Sepp Blatter’s suspension.

However, Hayatou’s reputation was tarnished when he was banned for one year by FIFA’s ethics committee in 2021 for breaching “duty of loyalty” rules.
He was also fined 30,000 Swiss francs ($33,000).

The ban was imposed after an investigation revealed that Hayatou had signed CAF into an anti-competitive agreement with French media rights agency Lagardère Sport.
Despite his fall from grace, Hayatou retains his honorary membership of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which he received after his 15-year membership ended in 2016.
Meanwhile, the current CAF president is South African billionaire Patrice Motsepe