38
Flashmag ! Issue 152 August 2024
49 years later , I wonder how well I knew him , even though many people , particularly but not only my colleagues , said we were inseparable . But Issa was such a mysterious man , he didn ’ t confide much . And yet , one year he invited me to his home in Garoua , in the north of Cameroon . He picked me up at the airport and said , “ You can either sleep in a hotel or come home . You can guess my answer
I could live with him , have lunch with him , and he was the one in control of what was said and what was discussed . Very rarely did I hear him speak ill of others . He knew very well who was who , who was good company and who was not , who was positive and who was not . In truth , Issa had been brought up in the most traditional Islam . He respected all its rules . But wasn ’ t he one of the sons of the Lamido of Garoua ? He didn ’ t talk much about his family . Naturally , I knew his wife , Marie-Claire , but he had never introduced me to his sons . It was one of the aspects of his secret garden .
Of course , we talked about soccer and his plans when he was head of CAF . On this subject , here ’ s what he told me for RFI and the monthly “ Afrique Football ” - which I had co-created some time before - as soon as he became President of CAF : I ’ m not a revolutionary . I ’ m not going to turn everything upside down for the sake of change . The achievements are considerable . We need to fortify them and establish our respectability in the world . In this respect , it ’ s up to us to demand again and again from FIFA our rightful place at the helm of international soccer . The battle for sporting fairness is a difficult one . The representatives of the privileged continents , particularly Europe , are obstructive or resort to blackmail . The fight for a new sporting order demands dedication and self-sacrifice . It does not tolerate compromise or concessions ”. These words sum up his battles perfectly . Everything was said .
Issa Hayatou after the FIFA Women ’ s World Cup Canada 2015 Final match between USA and Japan at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver , Canada .
38