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Patrice Motsepe re-elected as CAF president after standing unopposed

Patrice Motsepe attends a press conference after he was re-elected
Patrice Motsepe attends a press conference after he was re-electedKHALED DESOUKI / AFP
Patrice Motsepe, 63, has been re-elected as the president of the Confederation of African Football until 2029 after running unopposed at the CAF Extraordinary General Assembly in Cairo on Wednesday.

The South African businessman and Mamelodi Sundowns owner first took office on March 12, 2021, after four other candidates withdrew their candidacies.

Under Motsepe's leadership, African football has experienced significant growth, including an increase in the number of African women's teams participating in the FIFA Women’s World Cup and a rise in prize money for African football competitions.

Financially, African football has seen a remarkable rise, with CAF recording a $72 million (£55.5 million) profit from last year’s Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire - 18 times higher than the revenue generated from the 2022 edition.

"I was partly taken aback by the huge insistence about continuity," Motsepe had told BBC Sport Africa in 2024.

"There was some concern that there may not be the same degree of emphasis on governance, on ethics and the sort of fundamental changes that we've had to introduce.

"There's a lot of good, good progress that has been made, but there is still a lot of work to be done."

Meanwhile, Cameroon football legend and four-time African Player of the Year, Samuel Eto'o, was elected unopposed as the sole candidate from the Central Africa region.

The president of the Cameroon Football Federation (Fecafoot) was suspended in 2024 by both FIFA and CAF for violating disciplinary regulations.

In fact, the former Barcelona and Chelsea striker was banned after an inquiry into alleged breaches of ethical and integrity standards when he accepted a role as an ambassador for a betting company.

Shina Oludare
Shina OludareFlashscore News