THE Lesotho Football Association (LeFA) has thrown its weight behind the president of South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns FC Patrice Motsepe, who will stand for the presidency of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) on March 12, in Rabat, Morocco.
sports
March 5, 2021
STAFF REPORTER
5 min read
Motsepe has LeFA support for CAF elections
President of Mamelodi Sundowns FC Patrice Motsepe
Motsepe’s campaign is also backed by among others the FIFA boss Gianni Infantino.
He also has the backing of most national football associations in Southern and East Africa, apart from a few rare exceptions, such as the Malawi federation.
He is also endorsed by the Equatoguinean Football Federation president, Gustavo Ndong and the president of the Sierra Leone Football Association, Isha Johansen.
LeFA Secretary General Mokhosi Mohapi, has confirmed their support of Motsepe at the upcoming presidential polls.
“LeFA as a member of the regional Council of Southern Africa Football Association (COSAFA) has resolved to throw its weight behind him as a candidate from the region in South Africa,” he said.
Mohapi could however, not be drawn to explain as what LeFA expects from Motsepe if he is elected, saying the association still has to meet him in a one on one meeting.
“In actual fact, such a meeting should have already been held had it not been due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” he was quick to show.
He was nonetheless hopeful that such a meeting is still in the pipeline, noting that it could be held in either Lesotho or South Africa, depending on what will transpire in the coming days prior to the elections day.
He said the COSAFA candidate’s manifesto will target the whole African continent and one country in particular.
Motsepe officially announced his manifesto on Thursday in which he promised to invest in the development and growth of football in each African country and building partnerships as well as sponsorships with the private sector along with other potential partners.
“Improving the efficiency and professionalism of CAF's competitions and its staff,'' he said at the media briefing held in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Furthermore, he said implementing and adhering to governance and auditing global best practices as well as investing in African football infrastructure and investing in their youth and in the future of African football will be some of his key areas he will address if elected as the next CAF boss.
The founder and executive chairman of African Rainbow Minerals is also expected to resign as Mamelodi Sundowns’ president in order to contest the CAF presidential elections.
He will get taut competition from four other candidates including the incumbent CAF boss Ahmad Ahmad from Madagascar who ousted the long serving Cameroonian Issa Hayatou four years ago along with Ahmed Yahya of Mauritania, Jacques Anouma from Ivory Coast and Senegal’s Augustine Senghor.
The mining and business magnate’s club (Mamelodi Sundowns) is South Africa’s most titled league side – the Pretoria-based side is also the winner of the CAF Champions League in 2016 and the CAF Super Cup in 2017.
In a statement after their meeting, COSAFA nations said they have pledged their unequivocal support for Motsepe following the organisation’s annual general meeting that was held in Johannesburg.
The 14 COSAFA members unanimously agreed that Motsepe was the best candidate to lead CAF into a new era of transparency and good governance, confirming that he had their full support all the way.
The 14 COSAFA member states include Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa.
“Dr Motsepe is our candidate, and we endorse him fully,” COSAFA president Dr Phillip Chiyangwa said.
“We believe he has the right mix of business acumen and connections in the corporate world to lead CAF through what will be a difficult period in the coming years.
“The name of Dr Motsepe is synonymous with good governance and integrity, and he is the perfect candidate to meet the challenges of football that our continent faces.
“FIFA president Gianni Infantino often talks of how unity is required in African football to move the game forward and we firmly believe Dr Motsepe can bring that.”
According to the SAFA website, Motsepe has been travelling the length and breadth of the African continent in recent months to explain his vision to football association presidents.
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FIFA boss Gianni Infantino
“His commitment to the role is obvious and the passion he clearly has for African football can never be questioned. We will go to the congress (on March 12) as a COSAFA collective and we will show unity of our own to help Dr Motsepe get elected.
“We are at a crucial stage for African football, that is quite clear, and what is required is strong and decisive leadership. That is how we will grow the game and provide the future we all want to see for African football.”
Born in 1962 in Soweto, Motsepe obtained a bachelor of arts degree at the University of Swaziland in the 1980’s and was later granted permission to enroll in the University of Witwatersrand, a whites-only institution, where he earned a degree in mining and business law.
In 1988, he joined the law firm Bowman Gilfillan and in 1994, he became the firm’s first black partner.
He launched the African Rainbow Minerals Gold Ltd in 1997, the first mining company to be owned by a black South African.
Motsepe built a full-fledged empire through its cobalt, nickel, iron ore, copper and coal mining operations and with the backing of the government’s Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) programme.
He became a billionaire in 2008 – the first black South African on the Forbes magazine list. LeNA/Metro
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