Guess who’s back? Dr Patrice Motsepe re-elected as CAF president

by Nomonde Simelane

After successfully enjoying his first reign as CAF president from 2021, Dr Patrice Motsepe has recently been re-elected unopposed to return to his duties for the next four years.

At 63 years old, businessman Patrice was announced as the uncontested candidate to take on the title as CAF president after holding the ropes since 2021. This was revealed at the CAF extraordinary general assembly that took place in Cairo, Egypt earlier this week.

The role of CAF president is no small task as he embodies the governing body for football on the African continent.  It entails various responsibilities such as overseeing major tournaments such as the highly anticipated, fan-favourite AFCON, implementing developmental strategies for football in Africa through various initiatives and funding, as well as representing CAF internationally such as with bodies like FIFA among others.

The fact that the decision wasn’t a difficult one, seeing that Patrice was the only contender to run for office, is a testament to the immense pressure filling such a title consists of. This succession will allow Patrice to continue the work that he had already begun, which according to BBC Sports’ numbers, has seen some improvement since stepping into his role as president, “$72m (£55.5m) profit from last year’s Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) – a sum 18 times bigger than that generated by the previous edition in 2022,” to be exact.

Patrice continues to prioritise and advocate for further development as he highlights in his speech by saying “In 2021, there were 36 countries that were not playing football in their countries. The number has come down to 12, but for us, this is still a big number,” proving that he practice what he preaches as a leader.

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