Billionaire Patrice Motsepe is the new president of the Confederation of African Football. Motsepe was elected unopposed, during the organisation’s 43rd Ordinary General Assembly in Rabat, Morocco on Friday.
In his acceptance speech, Motsepe said, “I’m absolutely confident that working together we will indeed succeed to make African football to be amongst the best in the world.”
Motsepe, who is the owner of South African giants Mamelodi Sundowns, was elected unopposed to replace outgoing Ahmad Ahmad.
Mamelodi Sundowns tweeted saying, “Mamelodi Sundowns sends its congratulations & best wishes to Dr. Patrice Motsepe after being elected CAF President Mamelodi Sundowns supports you in all your endeavours.”
Motsepe succeeds disgraced Malagasy Ahmad Ahmad, who is serving a two-year FIFA ban over “governance issues”, and will require his vast array of business skills to fix the organisation.
A plan brokered by FIFA puts Motsepe in charge with Senegalese Augustin Senghor and Mauritanian Ahmed Yahya becoming vice-presidents and Anouma a special advisor.
Motsepe will be the first South African to lead CAF, following in the footsteps of two Egyptians, a Sudanese, an Ethiopian, a Cameroonian and a Malagasy.
Unlike previous African football leaders, who came from national association backgrounds, his connection with the sport stems from owning record 2016 African champions Mamelodi Sundowns.
