One of South Africa’s tycoons and football club owners, Patrice Motsepe, has thrown his hat into the contest for the Confederation of African Football (CAF) presidency, the local football governing body confirmed on Tuesday.
The South African Football Association (SAFA) national executive committee said it had approved billionaire Motsepe’s decision to contest for the position of CAF president to succeed current head Ahmad Ahmad of Madagascar.
Apart from Ahmad, Motsepe will also run against Jacques Anouma of Ivory Coast for the CAF presidency in the elections set for March 2021.
“His (Motsepe) business acumen, his observance of governance, his legal training, his global business network and skill, his commitment and love for Africa football make this a revolutionary choice for the leadership of African football,” SAFA president Danny Jordaan said.
He added: “CAF must improve its global profile and standing as a confederation of Federation Internationale de Football Association and we believe that he is the candidate that can achieve this for the benefit of African football.”
According to Jordaan, CAF’s focus areas must be the growth of women’s football, the introduction of technology and innovation to improve Africa’s competitiveness, closing disparities between African football nations, and strengthening the global zone of federations on the continent.
Other focus areas should include building bridges and partnerships between football, business and strengthening the governance and ethics of football, the SAFA boss said.
He noted that Motsepe’s nomination “moves him from the boardroom to the dressing room.”
“We understand that in order for the dressing room to be better and to get better results, you must strengthen your relationship with the boardroom.
“He is the person that straddles both the boardroom and the dressing room. We think he is the most appropriate person that we could offer for the leadership of CAF.”
Motsepe made his fortune in the mining industry. He owns the highly successful football outfit, the Pretoria-based Mamelodi Sundowns, which has won the country’s top league championship in the last five years in a row.
NM/jn/APA