The 69-year-old Cameroonian, who is also President of the African Football Confederation (CAF), has had regular dialysis treatment for a number of years and has been suffering from kidney complaints in recent months.

Hayatou underwent surgery on Thursday (November 12) and will continue in his post, which he took up on October 8 when FIFA President Sepp Blatter was provisionally suspended for 90 days in the wake of an alleged "disloyal" payment of CHF 2 million (£1.3 million/$2.1 million/€1.8 million) he made to UEFA President Michel Platini.

"Issa Hayatou has never hidden the fact that, for several years now, he has been suffering from a renal insufficiency, a situation that has not, however, prevented him from fully performing his duties," read a joint statement from FIFA and CAF.

"He will continue to fulfil his role as acting FIFA president as intended."

Hayatou has been a FIFA Executive Committee member for 25 years and is due to chair its meeting on December 2 and 3 in Zurich.

Blatter himself was released from a hospital stay this week, after suffering a "small breakdown".

Five candidates have been declared eligible to run in the race to replace Blatter as FIFA President in February with Liberia's Musa Bility prevented from standing earlier this week. 

Bahrain's Asian Football Confederation President Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa has been allowed to do so, along with Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein of Jordan, Jérôme Champagne of France, Swiss UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino and South Africa's Tokyo Sexwale.

The panel rejected the candidature of Bility "in view of the content of the integrity check report relating to him".

An integrity check was not carried out on Platini, who like Blatter is currently suspended from all footballing activity for 90 days following allegations of corruption.

He will only become a candidate in the election, scheduled for February 26, if he successfully appeals the ban and then passes an integrity check.



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October 2015: Blatter and Platini suspended from all footballing activity for 90 days