Patrice Motsepe has been named as the new CAF president after the 43rd general assembly meeting on Friday in Morocco.
The 59-year-old replaces Ahmad Ahmad who was elected four years ago but was suspended last November after FIFA found him guilty of corruption claims leveled against him.
Going into the meeting, Africa adopted a united stance which saw other three candidates, namely Augustin Senghor, Ahmed Yahya and Jacques Anouma withdraw from the race to be President for Motsepe to win unopposed.
Senghor and Yahya were given the first and second vice-president roles as part of the agreement for stepping down from the race.
In his first words after he was named president, the Mamelodi Sundowns patron centered his welcome address around unity.
As per reputable journalist Ed Dove, he said: “I thank my brother Gianni, for the vision and the encouragement of unity. We can only deal with the challenges of Africa when we are united.”
FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who was in attendance in Rabat, also commended the African Member Associates for the unity they have displayed in the last few weeks.
Motsepe is the ninth richest man in Africa with a personal wealth estimated at $2.9 billion (2.4 billion euros) by Forbes magazine. He owns 2016 CAF Champions League winners Mamelodi Sundowns.
Compared to his supposed rivals, Motsepe has no real experience in football administration. On normal grounds, he wouldn’t have been considered an eligible candidate for such an influential role.
However, his experience with the sport dates back to almost two decades ago when he acquired Sundowns in 2003.
Under his guidance, with an ample amount of financial backing of course, the Brazilians became only the second South African side to win the CAF Champions League in 2016, alongside seven domestic titles to their name.
CAF will be hoping to bank on their new president’s wealth of experience. To go with, the billionaire also has proper connections in Europe that could come in handy for sponsorship deals that could help develop African football.
Motsepe is the brother in-law of the South African president Cyril Ramaphosa. His rise to riches started in late 1990s when he became an expert in mining rights.
As per Rfi.fr, Motsepe says he wants the Africa Cup of Nations, Caf’s most prestigious national team tournament, to remain a biennial event rather than once every four years like its European counterpart and the World Cup. It will be interesting to see what becomes of that.
Regardless, African Football could be set for another dimension under their new billionaire president.