South African mining magnate Patrice Motsepe has been elected president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
Motsepe succeeds disgraced Malagasy Ahmad Ahmad, who is serving a two-year FIFA ban over “governance issues”, and will require his vast array of business skills to fix the organisation.
A plan brokered by FIFA puts Motsepe in charge with Senegalese Augustin Senghor and Mauritanian Ahmed Yahya becoming vice-presidents and Anouma a special advisor.
Motsepe will be the first South African to lead CAF, following in the footsteps of two Egyptians, a Sudanese, an Ethiopian, a Cameroonian and a Malagasy.
Motsepe gave a vote of thanks after the announcement of his election.
“Its a huge honour and huge privilege for me, we can only deal with the challenges of Africa. The leadership we have in Africa, it is that leadership that gives me confidence and that inspires me and I’m absolutely confident, working together we will indeed succeed to make African football to be amongst the best in the world,” said Motsepe.
Motsepe further expressed his gratitude to the Fifa President.
“Let me just thank my brother Gianni for the vision and the encouragement of Unity. We can only deal with the challenges of Africa and we will succeed,” said Motsepe.
Motsepe becomes the first president of CAF from an Anglophone country in the organisation’s 64-year history.
