Patrice Motsepe has secured a second term as CAF president, re-elected unopposed at the Extraordinary General Assembly held in Egypt, Cairo on Wednesday. His leadership will continue for another four years.
The SA billionaire has led CAF since 2021 and announced his re-election bid for October 2024.
The Extraordinary General Assembly is an elective congress for CAF president, together with some members of the CAF Executive Committee. This includes six representatives of Africa in the FIFA Council.
During his address to delegates on Wednesday, Motsepe once again emphasised the importance of governments in developing football on the continent.
With FIFA president Gianni Infantino in attendance at the general assembly, the Mamelodi Sundowns owner, Motsepe also stated his desire to build on the ‘good progress’ achieved over the past four years.
Motsepe’s re-election as CAF president was largely a formality, but the assembly proceeded with elections for the CAF executive committee. Notably, Cameroonian football legend Samuel Eto’o was elected. Additionally, the assembly determined Africa’s representatives on the FIFA Council.
The fact that Motsepe ran unopposed for his second term, finalised before the Cairo assembly, signifies a strong vote of confidence in his presidency. Taking over CAF in 2021 during a period of turmoil, following the FIFA ban of his predecessor Ahmad Ahmad from Madagascar, Motsepe has overseen substantial financial growth.
RE-ELECTED CAF PRESIDENT ENCOURAGES GOVERNMENT TO HELP GROW FOOTBALL
“Part of what we are doing going forward over the next months is to engage with the head of states and government and also the private sector,” said Motsepe in Cairo after his re-election.
“To encourage them to support football and to partner with football. We have made big progress. In 2021, 36 countries were not playing football in their countries. You can not develop football in any country if the national team does not play football in front of their supporters and their people.
PATRICE MOTSEPE HAPPY WITH THE PROGRESS MADE BY AFRICAN COUNTRIES
“So we have made big progress. There are currently only 12 nations in Africa out of the 37 or 38 that were not playing in their countries, there are only 12. But for us, 12 is too many. Our objective has to be that every single nation and every single country will have a stadium that is at the level of CAF and FIFA,” added Motsepe.
“One of the things that we are doing as African football is to make the government and head of states understand that investing in football infrastructure and development is beneficial for the country, the people of those counties and the economic development of Africa.”
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