Governing Bodies
Motsepe and the challenge of a second CAF cap
BY MITCHELL OBI
As we say in our local parlance jungle don mature…the tiger needs to show its tigritude..Away with the lukewarm comportment of shying from entering the trench.
It was no surprise to see Dr Patrice Motsepe throw his hat into the ring for a second term as CAF President. He has shown good courage of a leader sure of his ability and capacity to seek reaffirmation of his performance. One good term deserves another and some will add that even failure deserves a repeat as it was in our early school days.
The first time he got the nod as CAF President came via acclamation. The coast was made clear for him with the multiple flightn shuttles of FIFA president Gianni Infantino, his principal sponsor. Major contenders had to roll back their posters and swallow the pill of consensus and compromise. It was not easy even as they got compensated to stay within the power corridor to bid their time. That time now seems a bridge too far with Motsepe stealing the thunder of declaring his candidacy in a brave posturing to anticipate any pretender. Infact, the early pretension of the Lion from Yaounde appears to have fizzled out with the sword of damocles dangling before his troubled body of iniquities. Now he needs to check the combustive home front in Yaounde to dare the Sundown Lion. African politics knows how to silence its loudest sons . And lessons remain to be learnt.
One of such lessons is the creeping style of Motsepe which tend to suggest a certain nonchalance in holding office. A billionaire of note, he laughs at the thought of anyone contemplating his quest for power at football’s peak spot in the continent. Yet anyone who has keenly followed his stewardship as CAF President and appreciated his deep investment in it must realise the overriding joy and acquired clout piling up for another enterprise. Motsepe needs the cream from football to sweeten and smoothen his path to political heights in his homeland. It is so typical of those who make toys of bank notes. And emblazoning his name in the minds of passionate football followers in the continent should be a sure step to gain political mileage where it matters. When I see Motsepe’s coloured passion for the game I am forcibly reminded of Nigeria’s MKO Abiola of blessed memory. Abiola was indeed the Pillar of Sports in Africa and he effectively used the vehicle of football to catalyse a rewarding quest for presidential power in Nigeria.
So what do we make of Motsepe’s drive to secure a second mandate? Some have evoked the Ides of March and some have painted the picture of a reluctant candidate.
But the big question is whether Motsepe has done enough to be re-elected. He has gingerly built his style and shifted from the early painting of a stooge of the Zurich Czar.
He has closed the thought of those who think of leadership as a looting window and sprayed a dose of integrity and viability into the continental football body.
A critical assessment and appraisal of his four years may come later. My thrust here is simply an appreciation of the courage to open the gates for next year’s presidential election. Will he go back to his seat unopposed? Is he being pushed into the trench with covering fire from those who are content with the status quo?
One thing is sure. football power is an aphrodisiac. One craves for it like licking bonbons.
Inside Motsepe is the heart of a man enamoured of the charm of CAF President and I dare say a third term will not be a far cry. A miner keeps digging even when he finds gold.
Dr. Mitchell Obi is the immediate past president of AIPS-Africa.
By Kunle Solaja.
Nigeria is set to host the 48th Ordinary General Assembly of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), marking the third time the country will stage the continent’s top football gathering.
The development was confirmed in a statement issued by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), which disclosed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on the sidelines of the ongoing Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, approved Nigeria’s proposal to host the event.
The approval followed a meeting between President Tinubu and CAF President Patrice Motsepe, attended by Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, NFF President Ibrahim Musa Gusau, former NFF President and Special Adviser to the CAF President Amaju Melvin Pinnick, as well as CAF Acting General Secretary Samson Adamu.
Sports Villages Square affirms that Nigeria previously hosted the CAF Congress at the National Theatre in Lagos in March 1980 and again in February 2009, when the late CAF President Issa Hayatou secured another four-year term in office.
In addition to this year’s 48th Ordinary General Assembly, scheduled for October, Nigeria also secured the hosting rights of the CAF Awards ceremony. The annual awards gala, which celebrates Africa’s top football performers, has been staged in Morocco over the past three years.
Nigeria had earlier hosted the CAF Awards when telecom firm, Globacom, was the headline sponsor. This year’s event will be the seventh to be held in Nigeria after those of 2005, 2008, 2009, 2013, 2014 and 2016.
The CAF Ordinary General Assembly traditionally attracts key football stakeholders from across the continent, including presidents of CAF’s 54 member associations, representatives of the six zonal unions and senior football administrators.
The CAF Awards ceremony is regarded as one of African football’s flagship events, honouring outstanding players, coaches, clubs and officials in a glamorous setting that showcases the continent’s football excellence.
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FIFA’s independent Ethics Committee has banned former Guyana Football Federation (GFF) General Secretary Ian Alves from all football-related activities for five years after finding he sexually harassed female staff members.
FIFA also fined Alves 20,000 Swiss francs ($22,000) after determining that he had breached provisions of the FIFA Code of Ethics relating to the protection of physical and mental integrity, abuse of position and general duties.
“FIFA has a strict stance against all forms of abuse in football,” the organisation said on Monday.
The decision followed a review of written statements from the victims, documents provided by the GFF, submissions from Alves, and other evidence gathered during the investigation.
Alves stepped down from his position in 2024.
The ban came into force on Monday, when the terms of the decision were notified to Alves, and the full grounds for the ruling will be communicated within 60 days in accordance with the Code of Ethics, FIFA added.
The GFF did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Alves could not immediately be reached for comment.
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FIFA President Gianni Infantino said on Thursday that he planned to seek re-election for a fourth term in a bid to continue to lead the governing body of world soccer.
Infantino confirmed he would run for the 2027–2031 term in the closing moments of the FIFA Congress in Vancouver, which comes less than two months before the start of the World Cup.
The election will be held on March 18 in Morocco, which is set to co-host the 2030 World Cup.
Infantino said he was “honoured and humbled” to have the chance to run for a fourth term.
The Italian-Swiss took office in 2016, replacing Sepp Blatter, and was re-elected unopposed in 2019 and 2023.
Infantino has pushed for the expansion of FIFA competitions during his tenure, with this year’s World Cup in North America the first to feature 48 teams, while the women’s tournament in 2023 has been expanded to 32 teams.
Infantino’s tenure has also drawn some criticism over issues such as high World Cup ticket prices and the decision to award the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize to U.S. President Donald Trump at the World Cup draw in December.
Earlier this month, the council of South American football’s governing body (CONMEBOL) said in a statement it would unanimously support the 56-year-old if he decided to seek another term.
-Reuters
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