Mauritania football chief announces bid for CAF presidency

Ahmed Yahya, the head of the Mauritanian Football Federation, has announced his candidacy for the Confederation of African Football (CAF) presidential elections in March.

"Committed to promote African football, and after much thought and discussions, I have decided to present my candidacy for the Presidency of the Confederation of African Football," he tweeted.

He becomes the fourth candidate for the top job in African football.

Incumbent Ahmad Ahmad from Madagascar is running for another term while Jacques Anouma from the Ivory Coast and South African billionaire Patrice Motsepe are also in the race.

Yahya is considered to be close to Ahmad, who is seeking reelection despite having faced questions over financial irregularities, all of which he has denied.

A businessman in the fishing sector, and co-founder of local club FC Nouadhibou in 1999, Yahya was elected president of the Mauritanian federation in 2011 at the age of 35.

Mauritania qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time in 2019 but failed to advance beyond the group stage.

Yahya has served as a member of CAF's executive committee since 2017.