Motsepe to lead African football again 

By Dylan Bettencourt

• Patrice Motsepe begins a second term as CAF president after no one challenged him for the role.

• Samuel Eto’o, despite previous bans, joins CAF’s executive committee with strong support.

Patrice Motsepe will stay in charge of African football after he was re-elected unopposed as the Confederation of African Football (CAF) president.

The 63-year-old South African businessman, who also owns Mamelodi Sundowns, secured another four-year term during CAF’s general assembly in Cairo on Wednesday. His re-election came as no surprise – no one else even put their name forward.

Motsepe first became president in 2021, taking over during a time of crisis. His predecessor, Ahmad Ahmad, was banned by Fifa over misconduct.

Since then, Motsepe says he’s helped turn CAF around. Speaking at the assembly, he said: “In 2021, 36 countries couldn’t host games in their own stadiums. Now it’s only 12 – but that’s still too many. We must keep investing in infrastructure,” BBC reported.

He also pointed to last year’s Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon), which made a R1.3 billion profit — 18 times more than the 2022 tournament.

Fifa president Gianni Infantino attended the meeting to show support.

Former Cameroon star Samuel Eto’o was also in the spotlight. The ex-striker, who leads Cameroon’s football federation, won a seat on CAF’s executive committee.

Eto’o was elected unopposed after the Court of Arbitration for Sport overturned CAF’s earlier decision to block him from running. He had been suspended over links to a betting company, but the ban and a R3.7 million fine were later scrapped.

His election drew loud applause in Cairo, even though his leadership in Cameroon has been rocky. Last year, he was banned from attending six national games, and some former teammates have called him a “dictator”.

Pictured above: Patrice Motsepe. 

Image source: @CAF_Media