March 11 – South African billionaire Patrice Motsepe (pictured) will run unopposed to secure a second four-year term as African football boss at the Extraordinary General Assembly of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) on Wednesday.
For a long time, Motsepe remained non-committal towards a new term, but in October he confirmed that he would seek a second term “following requests from numerous CAF member association presidents, zonal union presidents and key stakeholders”, thus confirming the trend of uncontested presidential re-elections at major football governing bodies.
In 2021 the mining magnate succeeded Ahmad Ahmad, who had been banned for corruption, to become CAF president with the backing of FIFA president Gianni Infantino. Other candidates – Augustin Senghor (Senegal), Ahmed Yahya (Mauritania) and Ivorian Jacques Anouma – withdrew from the race in return for executive or advisory roles.
The CAF has struggled financially under Motsepe after the cancellation of a $1billion contract with Lagardère, but the South African has been upbeat about the organisation’s finances, confirming the settlement of $50million to the marketing company and a profit of $72m from the last Africa Cup of Nations in the Ivory Coast.
Last year the African governing body also doubled development money for the member associations from $10.8m to $21.6m. The 54 members will receive $400,000 on an annual basis, but a sizeable chunk – $50,000 – will be reserved for the FA presidents after the membership voted through a pay rise for top executives.
On Wednesday, CAF will also elect new members of its Executive Committee as well as the continent’s representatives on the FIFA Council. The FIFA Council serves as Zurich’s highest decision-making body but is under the firm control of Infantino. A seat comes with a compensation of $250,000.
CAF failed to disclose an official list of candidates, but Hany Abou Rida (Egypt), Fouzi Lekjaa (Morocco), Amaju Pinnick (Nigeria), Yahya, Souleiman Waberi (Djibouti), Idriss Diallo (Côte d’Ivoire), Mathurin de Chacus (Benin), Senghor), Djibrilla Hima Hamidou (Niger) and Andrew Kamanga (Zambia) are vying for five seats on the FIFA Council.
Waberi and Kamanga are under investigation at home, while current FIFA Council member Mamatou Touré (Mali) has announced he will not stand for re-election. He is in jail at home.
One seat has been reserved for Africa’s female representative on the FIFA Council. The candidates are Isha Johansen (Sierra Leone), Lydia Nsekera (Burundi) and Kanizat Ibrahim (Comoros).
Johansen has been a longstanding powerbroker in the game; Nsekera is a member of the IOC, served as a FIFA Council member from 2012 until 2021 and is the deputy chairwoman of FIFA’s development committee; and Ibrahim serves as CAF’s fifth vice-president.
Meanwhile, the CAF Executive Committee elections are determined by geography. The candidates are Samuel Eto’o (UNIFFAC, unchallenged); Sadhi Walid (UNAF, unchallenged); Mustapha Ishola Raji (WAFU A, unchallenged); Kurt Edwin-Simeon Okraku (WAFU B, unchallenged); Elvis Chetty (COSAFA); Alfred Randriamanampisoa (COSAFA), Mohamed Ally Samir (COSAFA) and Feizal Ismael Sidat (COSAFA). Bestine Kazadi, of DR Congo, will stand for the female seat.
Eto’o is a controversial candidate. Last week the Court of Arbitration for Sport cleared the Fecafoot boss and former Barcelona legend to stand in the elections.
Infantino is expected to attend the assembly.
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