Sizwe Sibiya
With only a few days left before the 2021 elections for the new Confederation of African Football (CAF) president, the odds are leaning in favour of South African billionaire Patrice Motsepe.
After reinstated CAF President Ahmad Ahmad was disqualified following his five-year ban by FIFA in November 2020 (which was revoked in January after his successful appeal), only four candidates are left. They are gunning for the CAF presidential seat Ahmad had hoped to occupy for the second term.
But it is slowly becoming Motsepe’s title to lose.
This is despite the fact that, unlike the other candidates, he has never occupied the seat of his country’s football federation. Augustin Senghor was president of the Senegalese Football Federation; Jacques Anouma was former president of the Ivorian Football Federation; and Ahmed Yahya was president of the Mauritanian Football Federation.
However, Motsepe has all odds favouring him, including – reportedly – the backing of FIFA.
FIFA favours Motsepe to take the reins from Morocco’s Ahmad, who in turn replaced Issa Hayatou in 2017 after 29 years of undisturbed leadership from the Cameroonian, according to AFP.
Sources close to the FIFA leadership told AFP they have advised the other three candidates to back Motsepe when election day comes – and in return they will be assigned other positions within CAF.
Two candidates, Senghor and Yahya, have reportedly welcomed the idea of backing Motsepe and settling for vice-president seats. Anouma of Ivory Coast will have to settle for a role of being an advisor to Motsepe.
The CAF presidential election will take place in Morocco, Rabat, on Friday, 12 March.
Picture source: @DiskiFans
