South African billionaire and Africa’s ninth richest person Patrice Motsepe has been confirmed as the new Confederation of African Football (CAF) president during the organisation’s 43rd Ordinary General Assembly in Rabat, Morocco on Friday.
Motsepe, who is the owner of South African giants Mamelodi Sundowns, was elected unopposed to replace outgoing Ahmad Ahmad, whose three-year reign promised much but was ultimately mottled by accusations of nepotism, corruption and embezzlement.
Ahmad was suspended in November after being found guilty of breaching four separate articles of Fifa’s ethics code and banned from all football-related activity for five years.
Dr Motsepe, who becomes the seventh (7th) person to occupy the position of CAF President, begins his four-year term after being elected unopposed by the Member Associations of CAF, in Rabat.
Going to the General Assembly, Africa adopted a unity stance which saw other three candidates, namely Augustin Senghor, Ahmed Yahya and Jacques Anouma withdraw from the race to be President.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who was in attendance in Rabat in his remarks in the General Assembly commended the African Member Associates for the unity they have displayed in the last few weeks.
Dr. Motsepe, 59, is an accomplished South African businessman and philanthropist and no stranger to football. For almost two decades, he has been the President of a South African club, Mamelodi Sundowns. -Goal/ CAF Online
