The Sunday News
Mehluli Sibanda, Senior Sports Reporter
A DRAMATIC week in African football was capped off with the big news that Fifa president Giovanni Infantino will be visiting Zimbabwe for a 24-hour stay between Thursday and Friday.
The Switzerland born Infantino responded to an invitation sent to him by Zimbabwe Football Association president Philip Chiyangwa on 8 February to attend his belated 58th birthday celebrations which will also be used to mark his ascendancy to the Cosafa presidency.
Last Saturday, at its first formal meeting since Chiyangwa was elected unopposed as the leader of the 14-member grouping at Sun City, South Africa, Cosafa decided to back Ahmad Ahmad of Madagascar to challenge long serving leader Issa Hayatou for the Confederation of Africa Football presidency when elections are held next month.
Chiyangwa, who is said to be Ahmad’s campaign manager, drew the ire of Hayatou, at the helm of Caf since 1988 when he invited Infantino and other Africa football associations’ chairmen to Harare for the party on Friday. Caf wrote to Chiyangwa, warning of possible sanctions for what it called attempts to undermine the continental body.
“You do not have any authority to convene such a meeting, without Caf knowledge nor without its required approval. We draw your attention to the obligation of all zonal unions to respect the authority of Caf, and not to conduct in any activities that undermine the common objectives of Caf, for the benefit of African football development. The Caf Executive Committee reserves its rights to sanction any infringement to the Caf statutes,’’ read part of the letter sent to Cosafa.
Chiyangwa, in response told Hayatou that there was nothing amiss about the gathering as he believes that it will foster friendly relations between associations for the betterment of the game on the continent.
In what should be a heavy blow for Cameroonian Hayatou, Infantino last Wednesday wrote to Chiyangwa to confirm that he is indeed headed to Zimbabwe for a 24-hour visit on his way from South Africa for Fifa Executive Summits.
“I would like to thank you for your letter dated 8 January 2017 and your kind invitation to visit your country this month. I am very pleased to confirm my visit. This will take place in connection with my trip to South Africa for the Fifa Executive Summits in Johannesburg, which will take place from 21 to 23 February 2017. I will be arriving in Harare on Thursday 23 February at around 18:00 and leaving on Friday at 18:00(the flight details and the Fifa delegation will be communicated in due course).
I have no doubt that this visit will help us to lay the foundations for further fruitful cooperation and to share our personal visions for the continued development of our sport in your country. I wish you every success in your upcoming endevours and look forward to seeing you soon,’’ reads the latter signed by Infantino.
While Infantino is not the first world football governing body president to visit Zimbabwe, Sepp Blatter made a number of trips to the southern African nation during his tenure, the last one being in 2011. Blatter was an ally of Hayatou, the second most powerful man in world football. Infantino’s visit, however, could be a show that he is not in the best of books with Hayatou which would be a blow for the Caf boss. Caf in 2015 changed the age limit to allow Hayatou, who at his current age of 70 would have been ineligible to stand for another term in office but it would appear the 46-year-old Infantino is looking for change to occur in the African continent’s leadership. It still to be seen what Zimbabwe, as a country stand to benefit from Infantino’s visit but for Chiyangwa, should Ahmad go on to become the next Caf boss, it would be no surprise if he also gets into the Africa football leadership.
— @Mdawini_29
