By Samindra Kunti
February 1 – Patrice Motsepe is intensifying his election campaign in the race for the presidency of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), hitting the campaign trail once again at the African Nations Championship (CHAN) and the Club World Cup in Qatar.
In January, the CAF presidential hopeful courted national FA presidents on the sidelines of the tournament in Cameroon and he is returning to West Africa as the finals that unite Africa best domestic-based players reach a climax. In the last four, the hosts meet Morocco while Mali play Guinea.
Motsepe and SAFA president Danny Jordaan will return to the CHAN to canvass more support before heading for Qatar to attend the Club World Cup, a tournament that will be attended by a slate of African FA presidents with Egyptian club Al Ahly representing the continent in the FIFA competition.
Last week, Motsepe won the backing from the 14-nation strong Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (Cosafa). The regional body moved to unanimously support the South African mining magnate and the endorsement of Motsepe didn’t come as surprise, but represented a first major milestone for the South African.
Last November, Motsepe announced that he would run in the CAF presidential elections and while he is not officially affiliated to any national association he has strong support from both Jordaan and Nigerian Football Federation president Amaju Pinnick on the campaign trail.
Four candidates have been cleared to run for the CAF elections in Morocco. Jacques Anouma (Ivory Coast), Augustin Senghor (Senegal) and Ahmed Yahya (Mauritania) complete the field, but in dramatic developments on Friday a Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruling restored Ahmad Ahmad as CAF president, leaving the disgraced official, banned for five years by FIFA’s ethics committee from all-football related activity, with an outside chance of rejoining the race before his CAS hearing on March 2.
The CAF presidential elections will take place on March 12 in the Moroccan capital Rabat.
Contact the writer of this story, Samindra Kunti, at moc.l1734940569labto1734940569ofdlr1734940569owedi1734940569sni@o1734940569fni1734940569