Governing Bodies
AFRICA’S 10TH RICHEST MAN AND SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENT IN-LAW, PATRICE MOTSEPE ENTERS CAF PRESIDENTIAL RACE
Four days to the close of bids, South African Patrice Motsepe, has announced his intention to contest for the post of president of Confederation of African Football, CAF.
Motsepe, an in-law to South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa is one of Africa’s richest men. He is also the chairman of 2016 African club champions Mamelodi Sundowns.
He thus becomes the third person to formally bid for the role, after incumbent Ahmad and Jacques Anouma of Cote d’Ivoire. Two Tunisians- Tarek Bouchamaoui and Wadie Jary. showed intentions, but are yet to make formal bid.
Motsepe is Africa’s tenth richest man, according to Forbes magazine which estimates his wealth at $2.4 billion.
“CAF must improve its global standing,” said South Africa FA president Danny Jordaan. “He is the most appropriate person we could offer for the leadership of Caf. We do not want any compromise on governance or ethics in football.”
Motsepe, who is in quarantine at home after contracting Covid-19 according to Jordaan, was not present at Monday’s press conference in Johannesburg to announce his bid, with Jordaan – flanked by South Africa’s Sports Minister Nathi Mthethwa – doing so instead.
In a related development, one expected challenger – Amaju Pinnick of Nigeria – has decided against standing for the Caf presidency and given his backing to Motsepe instead.
The South African is the second candidate to announce in less than 48 hours, after Anouma – a former member of FIFA’s Executive Committee (now Fifa Council) between 2007 and 2015 – was formally backed by the Ivorian federation on Saturday evening.
Reigning president Ahmad, meanwhile, submitted his candidacy in October but his ability to contest March’s elections is in doubt given he is set to face a ban from football after being found to have breached various FIFA’s ethic codes, BBC Sport Africa understands.
The 60-year-old from Madagascar, who was questioned by French anti-corruption authorities last year without being charged, has previously denied any wrongdoing.
Motsepe’s bid, which comes ahead of Thursday’s deadline for candidates to formally register their interest, breaks the traditional contestants for the Caf presidency, which has been restricted to high-ranking members of African football’s ruling body in the past.
Motsepe is able to contest the position since he fulfils the requirements of having been involved in football for the past five years, with the South African having led Pretoria-based Sundowns since 2004, and has received the backing of his own federation.
Having made his fortune in mining after starting out as a lawyer, Motsepe – whose wife is the elder sister of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa – is already receiving support from across Africa, with Botswana, Nigeria and Sierra Leone among those to have already publicly backed him.
“He has more superior qualities than me,” Pinnick told BBC Sport Africa. “It’s not about me, it’s about African football. If you have someone with superior qualities, you have to learn from him and queue behind him and wait for your time.”
“The key to successful governance starts from the point where the right person or persons are put in the right positions for the right reasons,” said Sierra Leone FA president Isha Johansen. “African football and the African continent needs to be on the global platform for the right reasons.”
Botswana, Nigeria and Sierra Leone were among the eight countries – with Anouma’s Cote d’Ivoire another – that refused to give their backing to Ahmad last month when 46 other African FA presidents called on the Malagasy to contest a second term.
With countries only able to nominate one candidate for CAF’s Executive Committee, including the presidency, Motsepe’s bid means South Africa FA president Danny Jordaan can no longer apply for the FIFA Council role that he has long coveted.
“It’s a deferred ambition,” Jordaan told BBC Sport Africa on Monday.
CAF’s elections are set to take place in Morocco next March.
World football governing body, FIFA, today clocks its 122nd anniversary, celebrating more than a century of overseeing and expanding the global game.
Founded on May 21, 1904, in Paris, France, FIFA began with just seven member associations — France, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
From that modest beginning, the organisation has grown into the most influential sports governing body in the world, with 211 member associations spread across all continents.
Over the decades, FIFA has transformed football into a truly global phenomenon through competitions such as the FIFA World Cup, Women’s World Cup, Club World Cup, youth tournaments, and developmental programmes aimed at growing the game worldwide.
The organisation has also witnessed remarkable milestones, including the expansion of the men’s World Cup from 13 teams in 1930 to 48 teams beginning from the 2026 edition to be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
FIFA’s journey has equally reflected football’s growing influence beyond sport, with the game becoming a major tool for diplomacy, social inclusion, youth empowerment, and economic development across the world.
As FIFA celebrates 122 years of existence, attention is now focused on the future of the game, technological innovations, expanded competitions, women’s football growth, and the continued globalisation of football.
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UEFA has issued a lifetime ban to Petr Vlachovsky, a Czech women’s soccer coach who secretly filmed his players, the governing body announced on Tuesday.
Czech media reported that the coach was convicted in May 2025 and initially received a suspended one-year prison sentence and a five-year domestic coaching ban for filming FC Slovacko’s players in changing rooms, the youngest of whom was 17.
In a statement, UEFA’s Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body (CEDB) said it had decided to ban Vlachovsky “from exercising any football-related activity for life” following the appointment of an Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector to investigate allegations of potential misconduct.
“The CEDB further decided to request FIFA to extend the abovementioned ban on a worldwide level and to order the Football Association of the Czech Republic to revoke Mr Petr Vlachovsky’s coaching licence,” the statement added.
FC Slovacko did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
Football players’ union FIFPRO welcomed the ban as well as UEFA’s request for world soccer governing body FIFA to impose an international ban on Vlachovsky.
“This outcome sends a strong and necessary message that abusive and inappropriate behaviour has no place in football and that safeguarding the well-being of players must remain a priority at every level of the game,” FIFPRO added in a statement.
Vlachovsky had also previously served as coach of the Czech women’s Under-19s team.
RELATED STORY: https://sportsvillagesquare.com/2026/04/08/outrage-as-male-coach-who-secretly-filmed-women-players-still-free-to-work-in-football/
-Reuters
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Southampton have been kicked out of the Championship playoff final after being found guilty of spying on semi-final opponents Middlesbrough, the English Football League said on Tuesday.
Middlesbrough, who lost 2-1 to Southampton on aggregate in the semi, have been reinstated and will face Hull City on Saturday in what is dubbed the world’s richest soccer match.
Promotion to the Premier League, even with an immediate relegation, is estimated to be worth in the region of 200 million pounds ($268.10 million) over three seasons.
Southampton, who admitted the charges, were also found guilty of filming training sessions involving Oxford United in December and Ipswich Town in April during the regular season.
They have also been deducted four points from the start of next season in England’s second tier.
“An Independent Disciplinary Commission has today expelled Southampton from the Championship play-offs after the club admitted multiple breaches of EFL regulations related to the unauthorised filming of other clubs’ training,” the EFL said.
“Southampton admitted breaches of Regulations requiring Clubs to act with the utmost good faith and prohibiting the observation of another Club’s training session within 72 hours of a scheduled match.
“The effect of today’s order is that Middlesbrough are reinstated into the 2026 play-offs and will proceed to the play-off final against Hull City. The final remains scheduled for Saturday 23 May, with the kick-off time to be confirmed.”
The EFL confirmed that Southampton could appeal against the decision and that “parties are working to try and resolve any appeal on Wednesday 20 May.
“Subject to the outcome, it could result in a further change to Saturday’s fixture,” the statement said.
‘BORO CALLED FOR SOUTHAMPTON EXPULSION
Middlesbrough had called for Southampton’s expulsion after having a training session at their Rockliffe Park site filmed 48 hours ahead of the first leg of their playoff semi-final with Southampton which ended 0-0.
The north-east club said they welcomed the decision.
“We believe this sends out a clear message for the future of our game regarding sporting integrity and conduct,” the north Middlesbrough said in a statement.
“As a club, we are now focused on our game against Hull City at Wembley on Saturday.”
Southampton were relegated from the Premier League last season and were struggling in the early part of this campaign until a storming finish in which they went unbeaten in 19 league games to finish fourth and enter the playoffs.
The south-coast club are the first to fall foul of the Football League’s regulation 127 — brought in after Leeds United were found guilty of spying on Derby County seven years ago, an offence for which they were fined 200,000 pounds.
-Reuters
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