Danny part of clean sweep

Sy Lerman

It was a rare success for the Cosafa minnows of Southern Africa over the traditional entrenched northern rulers within Caf this week when Issa Hayatou was deposed as the organisation’s president after 29 years and Madagascar’s Ahmad Ahmad replaced him as the unlikely new head.

And figuring in what could well be termed a coup of sorts was Danny Jordaan, who not only had the satisfaction of witnessing the end of the reign of the Cameroonian with whom he has enjoyed a cool relationship, with the Safa president also gaining a longsought seat on the Caf executive.

Bloodless the changeover might have been. but it was not without a good deal of acrimony, with the crusty Hayatou not taking lightly to his surprise rejection.

He lambasted new Fifa president Gianni Infantino for meddling in Caf affairs and threatened to cut his personal ties with Fifa.

And Hayatou would not have been over the moon with Jordaan’s appointment within the Caf ruling body, recalling that when the long-time head of the continental body attempted to secure the presidency of Fifa, it was the Safa president who supported Sepp Blatter and rallied support in Africa for the incumbent nominee.

As for the new Caf regime, it was widely thought the change was overdue, with fresh blood coming up with fresh ideas.

A forthright Ahmed, who initially had to be coerced into standing for the president’s position, said what pleased him most about his election was the fact that democracy was alive in African football.

Others, however, were not so sure and suggested it was simply a case of one authoritarian regime supplanting another.