It is looking like clandestine moves to stage a coup that would unseat Issa Hayatou, President of the Confederation of African Football might be hitting the rocks early on if indications from weekend goings-on are anything to go by.

Last week, invitations were sent to certain key personnel in the East African region to travel to Bujumbura, Burundi. Ostensibly it was to celebrate the elevation of the country's football federation President, Lydia Nsekera, to the heights of FIFA Executive Committee.

However things took a twist when a meeting was convened in which a representative of a football chief who is aspiring to challenge CAF President Issa Hayatou in next year's general assembly was introduced to the gathering. The representative, who came from the West African state of Cote d'Ivoire, was sent to parley with the invitees to the 'party' to deliver a message from his boss, on the need for change at the helm of affairs of football in Africa.

Football Federation chiefs from countries like Rwanda, Kenya, Djibouti, Namibia and Zanzibar joined their Burundi counterpart for the parley.

However, one of the delegates sparked a note of discord in the small gathering, complaining of what he termed as "trickery to engage us in a political meeting under the guise of a party".

He frowned at the concept of the event, especially as the aspiring candidate did not deem them "worthy enough to make a personal appearance at this meeting and only sending an emissary", which, in his words, "I find quite disrespectful".