CAF Presidency: Patrice Motsepe unveils an expected program
Patrice Motsepe is the eighth fortune of the African continent, according to the magazine "Forbes".
AFP PHOTO / GIANLUIGI GUERCIA
Text by: David Kalfa Follow
4 min
Patrice Motsepe presented his 10-point program for the presidency of the African Football Confederation (CAF), this February 25, 2021 in Sandton.
The South African billionaire has assured that he does not want to move the CAF headquarters from Cairo, that he does not run against Morocco.
He had fun being labeled a FIFA candidate for the March 12 poll.
The boss of the club Mamelodi Sundowns has also shown his preference for a CAN organized every 2 years for financial considerations.
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We have hardly heard Patrice Motsepe speak about his surprising candidacy for the presidency of the African Football Confederation (CAF) for four months.
But this February 25, 2021, the South African billionaire largely made up for it, during a press conference lasting more than two hours.
The one who made his fortune in the mining sector came to present
a ten-point program, without much surprise
.
Smiling and relaxed, he embarks on a long monologue on the need to attract private sector investment in African football, in the presence in particular of the Congolese businessman Moïse Katumbi, who came to support him.
“
When you have a girl you love, talk to her nicely, impress her, persuade her and you will succeed,
” he dares, in a metaphor.
"I think CAN should stay every 2 years"
The financial aspect, precisely, pushes him to favor, for the moment, an CAN organized every 2 years rather than every 4 years: “
We must restructure the African Cup of Nations in the next two years.
There have been discussions as to whether it should take place every 4 years or every 2 years.
Personally, initially I think she should stay every 2 years.
We need the money from CAF competitions
!
Thoughts will however take place about them.
Patrice Motsepe took the opportunity to respond to some concerns in Egypt and Morocco, two heavyweights of African football.
"
There is no intention to move CAF headquarters from Cairo to South Africa
", he insisted.
And he is not there to harm Moroccan interests or those of another country.
“
I want to use sport to unite Africa,
” he says.
"
Football would undoubtedly lift the cup in terms of disinformation,
" he laughs then, shortly before answering a question about supposed support for his person from the International Federation (FIFA) and the boss of FIFA Gianni Infantino.
“
They said the same thing about the president of the Federation of Mauritania
[Ahmed Yahya, Editor's note],” he smiles.
Confidence in his camp
Patrice Motsepe says he was rather cautious when we came to look for him to try to succeed the Malagasy Ahmad, at the head of CAF.
But here he is decided to reform the institution at a rapid pace so that African football becomes "
the best in the world
".
Among his supporters present in the room, apart from Moïse Katumbi, we find the presidents of the federations of South Africa, Mozambique, Nigeria ... that of the Council of Football Associations in Southern Africa (Cosafa), the Zimbabwean Philip Chiyangwa , displays his confidence.
For him, Patrice Motsepe can reach 35 votes out of the 54 possible during the election of the president of CAF on March 12 in Rabat.
In 2017, Cosafa accompanied the Malagasy Ahmad to victory.
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