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Sports News of Friday, 12 March 2021

Source: thenationonlineng.net

CAF PRESIDENCY: Motsepe: Good or Bad news for Nigeria?

South African billionaire businessman Patrice Motsepe South African billionaire businessman Patrice Motsepe

Today it would be the coronation of some sort as South African billionaire businessman Patrice Motsepe is crowned the eighth president of the continental soccer ruling body, the Confederation of African Football (CAF), at its 43rd General Assembly in Rabat, Morocco.

What hitherto used to be a keenly contested election in the days of yore had been reduced to a mere circus  following the FIFA ban on incumbent Ahmad Ahmad  as well as FIFA President  Gianni Infantino’s diplomatic maneuvering that saw three other heavyweights stepped down  for the ‘anointed’  Motsepe.

Last November, Ahmad was banned from football for five years by FIFA and fined 200,000 Swiss francs (S$288,660) after an ethics investigation by the world football governing body found the 61-year-old guilty of offering and accepting gifts and other benefits as well as misappropriation of funds.

But it was on Monday March 8, that the coast became crystal clearer for Motsepe to replace  the disgraced Ahmad after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) managed to reduce the ban to two years that  automatically ruled the former president from standing for re-election.

In 2017, Ahmad, the Madagascan riding on the wave of change mantra brought down the long reign of the debonair Cameroonian Issa Hayatou only to be shown the exit four years down the lane.

“Frankly, Ahmad did not do well for CAF in the last four years, “Eric Asomugah, a  former staff of the Cairo-based  continental body, told NationSport. “All that he promised was never accomplished and I think there is still much to be done for African football but as a leader, he failed to achieve all that he promised four years ago.

“Of course, people fight for a change for a reason but since we are not God, nobody would have foreseen tomorrow. People that came together to dethrone Hayatou, felt it was time for him to go because he had overstayed which was understandable.

“Nevertheless, I think with Hayatou, things wouldn’t have been bad as we have today because he knew how to govern and I think the only mistake he made was his inability not to prepare somebody to take after from him,” noted Asomugah , founder and president of Federation of International Supersoccer (FISS).

Meanwhile, with all the path smoothened for the South African owner of Mamelodi Sundowns, Motsepe, would be elected unopposed for probably the first time in the history of the 63-year-old continental football ruling body.

From the three musketeers that included Augustin Senghor of Senegal, Ahmed Yahya of Mauritania and  Jacques Anouma, it is as though the brilliant lawyer from  Senegal had the weight to upstage the Motsepe’s apple cart until Infantino-led  scheming saw all of them bowed out of the race ahead of today’s General Assembly in Rabat.

“The withdrawal of my candidacy for the Presidency of CAF in favour of another candidate will not be shared by all for various reasons, I am aware of this; but I think it’s a good decision, the right decision,” Senghor, the Senegal Football Federation President, said in a press statement.

“Achieving the objective of a strong, united, more efficient and more attractive CAF is worth all the sacrifices even that of renouncing legitimate personal ambitions in favour of collective and participatory leadership, the only guarantee of a rebirth of CAF expected by all Africans.

“I will be totally loyal to this institution that is CAF and to the one who from March 12, 2021 will embody it in order to show the world that the values of competence, solidarity and team spirit exist well in the ruling class of African Football if we all agree to look in the same direction and work for the same goal despite our differences and our possible differences,” he asserted.

While both Senghor and Yahya are expected to be named as CAF vice presidents behind Motsepe, Anouma is said to be offered an advisory role to the South African.

Meanwhile, Emeka Enyadike, a foremost African football commentator and Director Digital Sports Africa, believes the emergence of Motsepe would change the face of football in the continent.

He said: “I think it’s great that we had a candidate like Patrice Motsepe in the running for CAF President. I have always believed that African football needs more business people than politicians to run the game and Motsepe is one who has already been involved with the game at the right level with his ownership and successful management of his club, Mamelodi Sundowns

“I think African football will be in safe hands with Motsepe and I will just urge him to bring in more technocrats into the day-to-day operations and management of CAF as this had been lacking. The Confederation needs a massive overhaul and injection of more experts and professionals; I also hope he can attract more sponsorship with his global business network. African football can be a multi-billion dollars industry that can create more jobs and empower African youth

“I think it will be good news for Nigeria because we can also see the value of bringing in business people into the NFF

“There will be challenges but I think the one thing I am happy about is the political consensus building that has helped push him through rather than the kind of toxic politics we are used to.”

Yet  hard-punching  essayist  and erstwhile  Editorial Board Chairman of  Vanguard Newspaper in Nigeria, Ikeddy Isiguzo , is miffed  over FIFA’s role  in the governance of African football, likening the endorsement of Motsepe without any challenge as a form of colonial slavery.

“Africa constantly walks into avoidable situations because of self-centered leadership. What is Motsepe’s agenda for African football? He has none and he needs none,” Isiguzo, the famed ‘major commentator on minor issues’ told The Nation. “FIFA has endorsed him. Let it be noted that FIFA’s effort to control African football is tied to Infantino’s re-election. The price for getting Motsepe into office is getting Africa’s votes for Infantino tenure. Is that all Africa is worth?

FACT  FILE:  PAST  CAF PRESIDENTS

Abdel Aziz Salem of Egypt (1957–1958)

Abdel Aziz Moustafa of Egypt (1958–1968)

Abdel Halim Muhammad of Sudan (1968–1972)

Yidnekatchew Tessema of Ethiopia (1972–1987)

Abdel Halim Muhammad of Sudan (1987–1988)

Issa Hayatou of Cameroon (1988–2017)

Ahmad Ahmad of Madagascar (2017–2020)

Constant Omari of Congo DRC (2020–2021, acting)

“How have the individuals pushing for Motsepe’s presidency contributed to the well-being of African football? Is it about their interests or Africa’s interests?

“If Ahmad was a mistake that resulted in FIFA’s supposed intervention, the procuring of Motsepe could be the final nail on African football. Motsepe has promised to make African football profitable and “the best in the world”.

“Does anyone remember what Ahmad promised?” he queried, adding: “My fears are that Infantino will take over CAF, including asking that CAF Nations Cup may be changed to every four years.”

Equally, Sunday Olabode, a football analyst and economist described the style of selecting the CAF President as faulty.

He quipped: “Instead of elections, what Africa needs is a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) who will see to the day-to-day running of the body because through this the qualified people will be involved in the running of the sport which  is what is obtainable  in UEFA and even in FIFA.

“It is high time Africa embraced professionalism in the running of the football so that they can attract more sponsors. Qualification should have preceded election because most people that have run football in the past in CAF were not business people but politicians who know little about the running of the sport.”

Yet in all of these, Mazi Amanze Uchegbulam, the Imo State Football Association Chairman, rued Nigeria’s lost opportunity in African football leadership, adding the country would by now be the biggest beneficiary if the voice of reason had prevailed  in 2017 when some other persons  masterminded  the ousting of Hayatou.

“As I read the latest news about the CAF Presidential Election calculation, I get nostalgic about our lost opportunity,” the usual frank-talking Uchegbulam who served as Vice President CAF Board of Appeal for over a decade, told NationSport.

“The failure of Nigeria to be strategic, way back in 2017. I remember the 2017 declaration by those of us with CAF Committee (Dominic Oneya,  Amos Adamu, Sani Lulu,  Amanze Uchegbulam, Aminu Maigari, Chris Green, Paul Bassey, Bolaji Ojo-Oba and Aisa Falode) about  the deal with Issa Hayatou to support a Nigerian candidacy in 2021 which the leadership in 2017 failed to cement.

“But Nigeria backed an unappreciative and unqualified candidate in Ahmad who used us and dumped us. We led a senseless fight against Issa Hayatou.

“We cautioned but some members of the sporting press never understood where we were coming from. We lost the opportunity to gain from Nigeria investment in CAF over the years.

“Issa Hayatou confirmed that Nigeria gave him the greatest support.

“Now, we have, once again, thrown our weight behind the South African candidate, Motsepe, who apparently, might be the next CAF President. I pray he appreciates Nigeria’s support. I pray he doesn’t treat us the South African way.

“But history is fresh in our mind. The 2017 false step has not left us yet. It will be calamitous for a repeat false step. God forbid. May God reward us at least a seat in the FIFA Council and I pray South Africa would lead the campaign for our candidate to secure that valuable seat which surely would benefit Nigeria,” noted Uchegbulam.