Lagos — CAF President Issa Hayatou has acknowledged that the bad management of some national football associations is stunting the growth of the game in the continent.

"Poor governance of national associations still afflicts African football," said Hayatou at CAF's ordinary congress yesterday in the Moroccan city of Marrakech.

"We need to prove that we are capable of managing our affairs in accordance with the Fifa rules.

"We know what needs to be done in our home countries."

A leader of a football association must be supported by a professional infrastructure

Hayatou admitted that he has often had frayed relations with FIFA over their intervention in the problems of some African national associations but said they had an important role in bringing positive change to African football.

The Caf president's call was backed by FIFA boss Sepp Blatter, who told the congress delegates that African national associations must be headed by people with management skills relevant to the demands of the modern game.

"A leader of a football association must be supported by a professional infrastructure. This is important for African football to grow."

Blatter also reiterated FIFA's plan to improve the state of league football on the continent and ensure the 2010 World Cup is a tournament that has relevance to the entire continent and not just hosts South Africa.

The African football body also announced that every CAF member nation will be entitled to a US$100,000 grant.

It will come out of the yearly US$2.5 million grant that Caf receives from FIFA.

The remaining $1.2 million from the FIFA grant will be ploughed into CAF's training programmes.

Thirteen countries will receive the grant every year, ensuring that the entire continent is covered over a four-year period.