Madagascan Surprise Unseats FIFA Godfather
- Madagascar’s Ahmad beats Hayatou 34-20 in African soccer vote
- Election defeat means further changes atop global soccer
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A little-known official from Madagascar toppled African soccer head Issa Hayatou, ending almost 30 years of rule as the world’s most-popular sport continues to deal with the fallout of corruption probes into its management.
Ahmad Ahmad, 57, will replace Cameroon’s Hayatou, who is also senior vice president of global governing body FIFA, after a 34-20 victory in a vote Thursday in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa. Hayatou’s ouster is the second significant change at one of soccer’s major regional bodies since the Feb. 2016 election of FIFA’s new president Gianni Infantino.