Hayatou is seeking a fifth term of office as Caf president

The battle to determine who will lead African football for the next four years will be decided in Tunis on Thursday.

Issa Hayatou, the current Confederation of African Football president, will be hoping to extend his 16-year reign by defeating Botswana's Ismail Bhamjee at the Caf Congress in the Tunisian capital.

The 57-year-old Hayatou, who narrowly failed to oust Sepp Blatter as Fifa president two years ago, is facing the toughest challenge of his tenure from fellow Fifa executive committee member Bhamjee.

In addition to his place on the Fifa executive, the latter is president of the Botswana Football Association as well as the Confederation of Southern African Football Associations (Cosafa).

Hayatou, a vice-president of Fifa, has criss-crossed Africa recently in a bid to see off the 60-year-old Bhamjee, who hails from Botswana but is South African-born.

The Caf president has visited more of his constituent countries in the last four months than in the fifteen years preceding them.

Both candidates have expressed confidence at winning the ballot of the 52 Caf members.

Bhamjee is looking to govern Caf for the first time

Bhamjee, who has also travelled the continent canvassing support, says he is expecting to win at least 28 votes, which would give him outright victory.

Both Hayatou and Bhamjee were continuing with their election efforts through Wednesday, holding meetings with the leaders of various countries' federations.

The Caf presidential election will head several other votes on Thursday, including ballots for places on the executive committee in addition to one berth on the Fifa executive committee.

The Fifa berth is currently held by Tunisia's Slim Aloulou, who is not standing for re-election, and the favourite in a four-man field to replace him is another Tunisian.

Slim Chiboub, president of high-profile Esperance club, is also chairman of the organising committee for the Cup of Nations in Tunisia, which start on Saturday.

Meanwhile, former Ghanaian international Abedi Pele is challenging current incumbent Amos Adamu of Nigeria for a seat on the Caf executive committee.