Rabat (AFP)
The South African Patrice Motsepe, was elected as expected by acclamation, president of the African Football Confederation, Friday in Rabat and showed his willingness to play "collective".
The millionaire businessman, boss of the Mamelodi Sundowns club was the only candidate for the post, the others having lined up behind him under the leadership of Fifa.
From his first speech, he promised to rely on "collective wisdom" to work "in unity".
It was the watchword of the day, also hammered out by the president of the International Football Federation, Gianni Infantino.
An ode to teamwork, then declined by the new boss of African football during a collective press conference, with his "brothers", Augustin Senghor (Senegal), Ahmed Yahya (Mauritania) and Jacques Anouma (Côte d ' Ivory).
All three candidates in the fall for the presidency, they all three withdrew in the fortnight preceding the election, against the promise of positions respectively of first and second vice-presidents and of advisor of Motsepe which they now occupy.
- "Everything is priority" -
During the press conference, the new team listed its priorities over the questions distributed by a Motsepe very comfortable in his role of game master: "to make African football attractive" by improving the level and organization of the teams. competitions, "restore financial balances", "restore the image of the institution" and give it real "autonomy".
"Everything is a priority," insisted Patrice Motsepe.
"But if we want to get there at the global level, we have to start at the local level".
And if the choice of this very busy billionaire, unknown and sponsored by the boss of Fifa, made some teeth cringe on the continent, no dissonant voice was expressed during this 43rd CAF general assembly.
"We know that we are expected, that the skeptics wonder if this solidarity will resist time", recognized the Senegalese Senghor by saluting the "enlightened leadership" of the one who "despite his numerous charges wanted to make his contribution to African football ".
In his keynote address, Infantino defended the role of Fifa in this strange election without a vote, with a single candidate dubbed by him: she does not want to control CAF but to promote "unity".
"It is important to put together these two words: unity and team. As a team we win, only we lose, football is a team sport", he pleaded, in a speech in French and then in English. .
The host of the GA, the president of the Moroccan Federation, Fouzi Lekjaa, also wanted to "clarify once and for all that the fate of our football is in our hands, we the presidents of federations", and therefore not those of Fifa.
"All the controversies around the relationship with Fifa are sterile," he added.
A huge task now awaits the owner of Mamelodi Sundowns, the club in the township of Pretoria, which he will hand over to his son Thlopie.
- "Stabilize finances" -
Because Lekjaa, also chairman of the finance committee, recalled the financial difficulties of the institution, which "settled into a deficit of around 10 million" dollars.
It is $ 11.4 million for the 2019-2020 fiscal year, Bah said.
CAF "is in the process of + eating + its capital, its own funds", he warned, speaking of "structural deficit".
CAF has 70 M USD of equity.
"If we continue in this logic, we will have enough to function during this mandate, but it will be the impasse for the next one", warned the person in charge of finances of CAF.
It will be one of the first missions of Motsepe, who underlined, in his first speech of president, "the extreme urgency" to "stabilize the finances of the CAF".
Outlining his program, he insisted on the need to approach the private sector in each country to find sponsors for football, and asked that the GA move from an annual to semi-annual rhythm, "at least ".
"I'm not just confident, I'm very excited," he concluded.
"The face of African football will never be the same again."
© 2021 AFP