Lets face it - Africa is rarely in the football news except when an African player hogs the limelight in top European leagues. But there is just something different this week.
Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa has seen a hive of activity since Monday as football leaders arrive ahead of the much anticipated Caf elections to be conducted today at the AU Headquarters.
Caf President Issa Hayatou arrived on Monday having flown directly from Lusaka where he attended the just concluded U20 Afcon won by Zambia.
Hayatou's challenger in the upcoming elections Ahmad Ahmad of Madagascar has also arrived and intimated that he was ready for the big day.
Fifa president Gianni Infantino is also expected to arrive for the elections accompanied by his Secretary General Fatma Samoura.
Hayatou has been president of Caf since 1988 except when he briefly allowed Sukelu Patel from Seychelles to act for him from 2015 to 2016. This could have been due to failing health and the 70 year ceiling placed on candidates for the position.
Caf has lined up a raft of activities that coincide with their 60th celebrations which will include a documentary and different issues.
But here is the question that's bubbling out of everyone's lips: "Does Ahmad have enough muscle to shove long standing Hayatou out of the biggest football job in Africa?"
I personally think that this will be the tightest race Caf has ever witnessed in a long time. Remember how Barcelona overcame a 0-4 deficit against PSG in the Uefa Champions League? Expect these elections to be close to that level of drama.
Given the fact that Ahmad has the backing of Cosafa, Nigeria, and other African nations, ever seriously faced Hayatou knows that his days at the helm are realistically numbered.
When those in the Caf Executive Committee were afraid to challenge Hayatou, Ahmad stood up to be counted saying "I took (my decision) after hearing some federation presidents (say they) want change."
Surely that change could be today. The clock is swiftly ticking and tomorrow mornings roaster could be churning out a different tune to welcome Caf's new president.
