Football will be secondary today. All fans of African football – and football in general – are in mourning. I will always remember the unfailing friendship and fraternity that bound us together, and the great leader and emblematic president of the most illustrious body in African football that you were.
Your strategic vision and leadership have been major assets in developing football, popularising it and giving it an unprecedented sporting and financial base.
I have always appreciated your values, your human qualities and your unwavering passion for developing football. Your ability to inspire and motivate those around you was palpable.
Your loss is a blow to the world of football in general, but your legacy will live on. You were a man of great values of friendship, honesty and ethics. Your integrity and dedication to the whole of the African continent left an indelible mark on those who worked with you.
At this difficult time, my thoughts are with your family, your friends and the entire football community, who mourn the loss of a true leader. I send my most sincere condolences to your family and friends, to all CAF bodies and all the African football federations, and to all those involved in amateur and professional football throughout the world.
Tarek Bouchamaoui (former member of the CAF and FIFA Executive Committees, former advisor to President Issa Hayatou).
Garoua, 16 August 2024.
