Some 46 leaders of the 54 member associations of the Confederation of African Football (Caf) have sent a joint letter to President Ahmad Ahmad requesting him to run for a second four-year term.
Philip Chiyangwa, president of southern African football body COSAFA, confirmed to AFP that a letter supporting Ahmad had been delivered to the former Malagasy politician.
The presidential election is scheduled for Rabat next March and the 60-year-old has until November 12 to decide whether he will seek re-election.
A simple majority — 28 votes if each association participates — is required to win the election but no official has announced their candidacy.
Algeria, Botswana, the Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe were the eight nations not included in the letter of support.
Ahmad scored a stunning victory three years ago over incumbent Issa Hayatou, a Cameroonian who had ruled African football for 29 years.
The letter praised Ahmad, but made no mention of various controversies surrounding him, including being probed by the FIFA ethics committee for alleged financial irregularities, which he denies.
At the request of Ahmad, FIFA sent secretary general Fatma Samoura to Caf headquarters in Cairo last year to assist for six months in the running of the organization.
