Issa Hayatou has moved up the FIFA hierarchy. Hayatou, who is the President of Confederation of African Football, has been named the interim FIFA President after former president Sepp Blatter was suspended and “stripped of all duties.”
Hayatou, 69, takes over as senior vice president of FIFA.
He has in the past been reprimanded for misconduct by the International Olympic Committee.African football leader Hayatou on Thursday took temporary charge of FIFA after Blatter was “relieved of his duties” because of his 90-day suspension, the world body said.
Blatter was relieved of all his duties as FIFA presidentn after the move by the FIFA ethics committee to suspend him for 90 days because he is under criminal investigation by Swiss prosecutors,” FIFA said.
Members of Fifa’s ethics committee met this week after the Swiss attorney general opened criminal proceedings against Blatter last month.
He is accused of signing a contract “unfavourable” to football’s governing body and making a “disloyal payment” to Uefa president Michel Platini.
Blatter, who has run Fifa since 1998, and Platini, who wants to succeed him, deny any wrongdoing.
A final decision is likely to be made on Friday by Hans Joachim Eckhert, the head of Fifa’s ethics adjudicatory chamber.
Election for substantive FIFA president is slated for February 2016, with two Nigerians Orji Uzo Kalu and Segun Odegbami in the running.
