Patrice Motsepe has been re-elected unopposed as the president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for a second term until 2029.
The South African was confirmed during the 14th CAF Extraordinary General Assembly in Cairo on Wednesday 12 March with FIFA president Gianni Infantino in attendance.
The 63-year-old Motsepe, will continue his leadership for another four years, following his initial tenure which began in 2021.
He succeeded Ahmad of Madagascar who became the first CAF president to be banned by FIFA.
Motsepe’s re-election follows a widely praised first term, during which he stabilized CAF’s finances and enhanced its global profile.
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Patrice Motsepe’s achievements
Under his guidance, the organization set several records at the Total Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2023 in Côte d’Ivoire, attracting a record 1.4 billion viewers worldwide.
Additionally, CAF reported a $72 million (KSH 9.3 billion) profit from the previous year’s Africa Cup of Nations, a sum 18 times greater than the one generated by the 2022 edition.
The prize money for major tournaments, including the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League and TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, has also risen significantly alongside increased financial support for Member Associations.
In his re-election speech, Motsepe emphasized that his primary objective remains the growth of African football.
“The goal remains making African football globally competitive, stabilizing finances, and investing in infrastructure,” he said.
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Samuel Eto’o joins executive committee
Alongside Motsepe’s re-election, Samuel Eto’o was elected unopposed to the executive committee, representing the Central Africa region as the sole candidate.
The former African Footballer of the Year recently had his appeal upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, granting him inclusion on the list of candidates after initially being excluded by CAF’s governance committee in January.
Eto’o, president of the Cameroon Football Federation (Fecafoot), had been suspended last year by both FIFA and CAF for breaching disciplinary regulations.
CAF had banned him following an inquiry into alleged violations of its ethical and integrity standards after he took on a role as an ambassador for a betting company.
However, the ban and a $200,000 fine were later lifted on appeal.
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Other members elected or re-elected to the committee include Mustapha Ishola Raji of Liberia, who retains his seat for another four years, alongside newcomers Bestine Kazadi Ditabala (female representative from the Democratic Republic of Congo), Wallace Karia (Tanzania), Kurt Simeon-Okraku (Ghana), and Sadi Walid (Algeria).