The President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Ibrahim Gusau, has outlined reasons why the current President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Patrice Motsepe, should seek re-election for a second term.
Patrice Motsepe has served as the CAF president for three years, and his tenure as the South African football administrator is set to conclude in 2025.
During the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Ivory Coast, which was hailed as the best edition of the competition, reporters inquired whether Motsepe would stand for re-election. However, the 62-year-old Tshwane native did not provide a definitive response.
In an interview with Soccer Africa, Ibrahim Gusau elaborated on why Patrice Motsepe should be encouraged to contest for a second term. He commended the football administrator for the success of the 2023 AFCON and for attracting corporate organizations to African football.
“I want to emphasize that if given the opportunity, I would strongly encourage Motsepe to seek another term as CAF president because he has introduced many positive changes that were lacking in CAF, particularly in terms of trust,” Gusau stated.
“Currently, we are discussing how the corporate world can invest in African football, and we understand that corporations prefer to invest where there is trust and confidence that their funds will be utilized effectively,” he added.
Gusau highlighted the significant progress made by CAF under Motsepe’s leadership, citing the increase in viewership and profits during the recent AFCON tournaments.
“In the past three years, there has been noticeable improvement in CAF. During the last AFCON, we witnessed approximately two billion viewers. In 2021, shortly after Motsepe assumed office, CAF recorded a profit of $4 million from AFCON. However, after the recent AFCON, CAF generated a profit of $80 million, indicating effective leadership,” Gusau explained.
“We believe Motsepe deserves another opportunity, and we will actively support his re-election campaign,” he concluded.