( CNN ) -- Africa is ready to host the Olympic Games for the first time despite `` prejudice '' against its capabilities , claims the continent 's top soccer official . Issa Hayatou , who has been president of the Confederation of African Football since 1987 , told CNN that several African countries could stage the four-yearly competition . South Africa has already successfully hosted the FIFA World Cup in 2010 , the first African nation to do so , and Hayatou believes it can put on the other contender for the title of the planet 's biggest sporting event . `` South Africa can definitely organize the Olympic Games , with its infrastructure , hotels , communications , transport , '' he said Saturday . `` I do n't know if there are 10 countries in Europe that can be better than South Africa in that respect . `` But there are other countries in Africa that can organize an Olympic Games like Morocco , Egypt , Algeria -- I could also include Nigeria . All those countries could organize it , but there 's a prejudice -- they say , 'Oh , it 's Africa , they ca n't organize it . ' `` The 66-year-old believes South Africa has done a good job of hosting this month 's Africa Cup of Nations football tournament despite some small crowds and substandard playing surfaces . `` The challenge was to have a successful Africa Cup of Nations because some people thought we could n't succeed because South Africa is n't at the top of the sport at the moment , '' said the Cameroonian , a member of the International Olympic Committee and also a FIFA vice-president . `` But the organizing committee showed a lot of effort and did everything to ensure that this competition would go well . Of course , all the stadiums are not full , unlike what happened at the World Cup but for an Africa Cup of Nations I think we 've had a record attendance level . `` We have sold just over 750,000 tickets which is a very good result . '' However , African football journalist O.G . Molefe told CNN that the tournament has been slightly disappointing despite some of the top players on show . `` They had set an amount of 500,000 tickets to be sold for the tournament , but I still think it 's not enough , '' said Molefe , a correspondent for the broadcaster eNCA . `` Look at a game like Nigeria-Ivory Coast in the quarterfinals , one that you would have thought would be a sellout -- but it was n't . It shows there is a lot of work for CAF to do to fill stadiums for such a tournament . '' Sunday 's title match in Johannesburg will be between two-time champions Nigeria and first-time finalists Burkina Faso . `` It 's a competition that 's created a lot of surprises , '' Hayatou said . `` If I 'm honest Nigeria is a big football team but Burkina Faso never reached that level before . `` So although it 's a surprise it 's a good surprise because Nigeria and Burkina have produced a good quality of football and that 's been satisfying to see . If they show us in the final what we saw in the quarterfinals and the semifinals it will be a very beautiful final that the whole world will enjoy . '' Molefe said Nigeria 's `` Super Eagles '' had done well to reach their first final since losing on home soil in 2000 , with coach Stephen Keshi leaving out several big-name Europe-based players for the tournament . `` I do n't think many people would have predicted that the Super Eagles would get to the final , '' he said . `` To have reached this stage has been a big surprise but they 've got a lot of great players who have played very well . Not a lot of people gave them a chance of beating the Ivory Coast . '' Keshi is waiting until the last minute to decide on the fitness of four-goal Emmanuel Emenike and Victor Moses , who has netted twice in the tournament , after the key forward duo suffered injuries in the semifinal win over Mali . The Burkinabe have been boosted by the rescinding of Jonathan Pitroipa 's sending-off against Ghana , with officials admitting he should not have received a second booking . At the beginning of the tournament it was Cape Verde being the fairytale story but now it 's moved to Burkina Faso , '' Molefe said . `` They 've done well to reach this point . I think with Jonathan Pitroipa coming back to play the final after getting that red card it 's going to be a big motivation for them to go out and pull off a big upset . '' Meanwhile , Mali claimed third place for the second year in a row after beating Ghana 3-1 in a rematch of the 2012 playoff . Mali led 2-0 through a diving header by Mahamadou Samassa and Seydou Keita 's third goal of the tournament , but Ghana 's Wakaso Mubarak missed the chance to net his fifth when he blazed a 58th-minute penalty over the bar in the pouring rain at Nelson Mandela Stadium in Port Elizabeth . The Black Stars , who won the last of their four African titles in 1982 , got back into the game in the 82nd minute when Mali goalkeeper Soumbeïla Diakite was completely wrongfooted by a speculative long-range shot by Kwadwo Asamoah . However , substitute Sigamary Diarra settled the match in time added on to give some cheer to a country embroiled in conflict between Islamist rebel forces , government troops and the French military .
African football chief Issa Hayatou says continent is ready to stage the Olympic Games . Hayatou says South Africa , Morocco , Egypt , Algeria and Nigeria could all be successful . He believes South Africa has done well hosting Africa Cup of Nations this month . Hayatou says 750,000 tickets sold so far is a record for the football tournament .