The 29-year reign of Issa Hayatou as head of African football  came to a stunning and unexpected end today when he handed over his throne to previously little-known Madagascan challenger Ahmad Ahmad. As the wind of change sweeping through football politics snared yet another seemingly untouchable victim, Hayatou, one of FIFA’s last old-school powerbrokers, was trounced 34-20 by Ahmad who sprang from virtually nowhere to become only the seventh leader in the history of the Confederation of African Football. As soon as the result of the presidential election at the CAF Congress in Ethiopia was announced, Ahmad’s supporters lifted their man into the air as they celebrated an underdog victory just as dramatic as those of FIFA boss Gianni Infantino a year ago and new Uefa leader Aleksander Ceferin last September.

Ahmad’s camp had estimated he would get between 31 and 38 votes and they were spot on, rightly predicting that the new world order in football politics would lead to a landslide victory and prevail over Hayatou’s longevity. Although the 71-year-old Cameroonian has not been implicated in the ongoing corruption scandal plaguing FIFA, Hayatou had become a staunch ally of former FIFA president Sepp Blatter despite standing against him for the FIFA presidency in 2002. Hayatou also loses his position as a FIFA vice-president as well as the CAF leadership. Just as significantly, it would appear he has paid dearly for campaigning against Infantino as FIFA president in February last year when he instead mandated his executive to back Asian football president Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa. Although Infantino insisted he was neutral in the CAF election, there is little doubt he and his executive staff played a powerful lobbying role behind the scenes. Even though Hayatou has been credited with increasing the number of African teams at the World Cup and bringing in extra finance, Africa’s members voted for change, a now- familiar pattern. “When you try to do something, you mean that you can do it,” Ahmad, head of the Madagascan FA since 2003, told reporters after the vote. “If I can’t do it, I never stand.”

The result means a change in leadership for the first time since Hayatou, who not so long ago was FIFA’s interim president but who now no longer even retains a seat on FIFA’s ruling Council, took charge in 1988. His supporters will point to significant growth in the continental game and CAF’s standing being enhanced. Club competitions have been remodeled,  CAF’s own finances greatly boosted and while on his watch, the first World Cup to be staged in Africa took place in 2010 in South Africa. But none of that was sufficient to bring about an unprecedented eighth term. Only twice before had he been challenged for the CAF presidency, trouncing his opponent each time. This time, he was the one on the end of a crushing defeat amid age-old accusations of cronyism. Hayatou had used his opening speech to try to reassert his authority but to no avail. “As the president of CAF, who today possesses … unequalled experience and wisdom, I urge you, whatever may be your decision, to choose unity,” he said. But that couldn’t prevent him being humiliated by an opponent who only put his name forward because no-one else on CAF’s executive committee – the only body whose members are allowed to challenge for the leadership – dared take the risk. “I am a candidate for change and the majority wants change. I’m the only one who could dare present a candidacy for change. And I’m vying to bring this change,” Ahmad announced when launching his election bid. “Our football has been relying too much on its official course since 1957 when CAF was created. It is now high time for it to free itself and to update itself with the current situation.”

Not even an attempt to discredit Ahmad’s most vociferous supporter could save Hayatou. As tensions mounted and the respective factions prepared to launch a final offensive in Addis Ababa, Zimbabwe’s Philip Chiyangwa was referred to CAF’s Disciplinary Committee for defying instructions and going ahead with a meeting of federation chiefs in what the CAF administration viewed as a deliberately provocative act designed to destabilize the confederation. CAF took exception to Chiyangwa allegedly using a birthday party he hosted in Harare last month to drum up opposition to Hayatou. But in the end it was the Zimbabwean who had the last laugh as members of the Zimbabwe FA hoisted him triumphantly in the conference hall.