FIFA backtracks over Hayatou appointments
Reuters - Wednesday 21 September 2011, 19:45
BERNE - FIFA has backtracked over an announcement
on Tuesday that African football boss Issa Hayatou had been
appointed head of the organising committee for Olympic football
tournaments and the Goal Bureau.
"Due to a technical error, appointments for FIFA standing
committees have appeared on the FIFA website,"
said football's world governing body in a statement.
"The appointments for the chairman and deputy chairman of
the FIFA standing committees will be communicated in due course.
"Therefore, Issa Hayatou has not been appointed as chairman
of the organising committee for the Olympic football
tournaments."
Hayatou's name had also been removed on Wednesday from the
list of officials at the Goal Bureau which oversees funding of
what is seen as one of FIFA's most important projects.
The Goal programme provides support for football development
projects such as creation of youth academies, the modernisation
of national association computer systems, and the promotion of
women's football, futsal and beach football.
Confederation of African Football (CAF) president Hayatou
would have been a controversial choice for either post because
he has twice faced allegations of corruption, which he has
denied, in the last year.
CAF's website did not immediately report
the mistake and continued to carry a copy of its original
statement issued on Tuesday when the appointment was announced.