We need to close the distance between the members and CAF—new CAF president Motsepe

Motsepe: Africa spends millions of dollars every year paying for TV rights of leagues outside Africa

* There is a need to build our own products and we will succeed

* We need to restore the pride, the dignity and the respect of Africa

* He commits to be making regular visits to each of the 54 CAF member affiliates

Cafonline.com

Patrice Motsepe, the 7th person to occupy the position of Confederation of African Football (CAF) presidency, seeks to create a ‘new CAF’ that will take African football to new heights.

In his inaugural speech at the 43rd CAF General Assembly that elected him on Friday in Rabat, Morocco, the South African said “there is a great deal of urgency of getting things done”.

“There is a going to be a lot of work and a lot of running. We have to make sure that African football is not just competitive but globally successful.

“Africa spends millions of dollars every year paying for TV rights of leagues outside Africa. There is a need to build our own products and we will succeed.

“The face of African football will never be the same again. 95% of our conversations will be about football and that is fine but there must be that 5% where we discuss the importance of the private sector partnerships.

“We need to restore the pride, the dignity and the respect of Africa,” said Motsepe, who has been the president of the South African club, Mamelodi Sundowns for almost two decades.

An accomplished South African businessman and philanthropist and no stranger to football, the 59-year-old Motsepe has committed to making regular visits to each of the 54 CAF member affiliates as part of a plan to understand the problems facing them and also to assist in creating better relations with the corporate world.

He was ushered in unopposed after three other candidates — Augustin Senghor, Ahmed Yahya and Jacques Anouma withdrew from the race.

Motsepe, the 9th richest man in Africa with a personal wealth estimated at $2.9 billion by Forbes magazine, is founder and chairman of African Rainbow Minerals, founder of African Rainbow Capital (2016) and also founder of Motsepe Foundation (1999).

Important decisions that were approved by supreme body of CAF include: 

• The activity report and financial statements as of June 30, 2020, as well as the budget for 2021-2022 estimated at $118 million, of which $97 million will be devoted to football development

• The increase in the number of vice-presidents from three to five in order to ensure better representation of all the components of CAF within the Bureau of the Executive Committee 

• Better precision in the limits of the exercise of eligibility control by the governance committee of CAF, in particular for the President and members of the FIFA Council

• The modification of the conditions of admission to the quality of members of the organization

Executive members are: Women Representative: Kanizat Ibrahim (Comoros); North Zone: Wadie Jary (Tunisia); West Zone A: Mustapha Ishola Raji (Liberia); West Zone B: Djibrilla Hima Hamidou (Niger).

Central Zone has Seidou Mbombo Njoya (Cameroon); Centre-East Zone: Suleiman Waberi (Djibouti); South Zone: Evlis Raja Chetty (Seychelles) and Maclean Cortez Letshwiti (Botswana).

Past CAF presidents: 

· Abdel Aziz Abdallah Salem (Egypt): 1957-1958  

· Abdel Aziz Mostafa (Egypt): 1958-1968  

· Abdel Halim Mohamed (Sudan): 1968-1972  

· Ydnekatchew Tessema (Ethiopia): 1972-1987  

· Abdel Halim Mohamed (Sudan): 1987-1988  

· Issa Hayatou: (Cameroon): 1988-2017  

· Ahmad Ahmad: (Madagascar: 2017-2021