Africa's ruling sports body threw its support behind the continent's football (soccer) chief Issa Hayatou Monday in an effort to unseat Switzerland's Sepp Blatter as head of the world's governing body FIFA.
The Supreme Council for Sports in Africa urged all Africans to back Hayatou in the election due to be held at the FIFA congress in Seoul on May 29, one day ahead of the World Cup finals starting the next day.
Officials of the council of East and Central Africa Football Associations also signed a statement on Saturday backing his campaign.
Blatter has come under fire in recent weeks over allegations of financial mismanagement at FIFA and past vote rigging by his supporters. Blattner denied those charges.
FIFA's financial situation has been under scrutiny since the collapse last year of its long-term marketing agent ISL-ISM, and has been dogged by political in-fighting.