Senegal Football Federation president Augustin Senghor has submitted his candidacy for the Confederation of African Football (Caf) presidential elections in March.
Senghor, who has yet to publicly announce his campaign, told BBC Sport Africa he is the fifth candidate for the elections when asked if he had applied.
“Yes, this is true,” the Caf Executive Committee member replied. “When the time comes, I will communicate about this candidacy. This will be after our game against Guinea-Bissau on Sunday.”
Senghor is understood to be awaiting official approval from Senegal President Macky Sall to run before publicly announcing his bid.
He filed the relevant paperwork to Caf headquarters in Cairo in any case to beat Thursday’s deadline.
Five names have now applied for the post, with incumbent Ahmad (Madagascar), Jacques Anouma (Ivory Coast), Patrice Motsepe (South Africa) and Ahmed Yahya (Mauritania) all having also announced bids.
Ahmad’s candidacy is in doubt as BBC Sport Africa understands he has breached various codes of Fifa’s ethics, with any ban likely to rule the 60-year-old, who has previously denied any wrongdoing, out of the elections.
Senghor is the mayor of Goree, an island off the coast of the Senegalese capital Dakar, and president of top-flight side US Goree.
The politician, whose nation play an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Bissau on Sunday, has been a member of Caf’s Executive Committee since 2019.
Caf’s elections are set to take place in the Moroccan capital Rabat on 12 March.