Sponsors ‘said they would leave’: Motsepe on why he ran for second term at Caf

Patrice Motsepe says he stood for a second term as Confederation of African Football (Caf) president because major sponsors he helped pull in threatened to leave too if he left.

Caf this month announced a profit “for the first time in several years” for the 2023-24 financial year along with several major new investments in infrastructure and development, plus new payments to clubs taking part in its competitions and increases in prizemoney.

Motsepe, elected in 2021 and re-elected unopposed in March, is credited with turning around Africa’s football governing body, which had suffered decades of corruption, financial woes and poor governance.

Among his campaign promises when first elected was to visit all 54 African countries. In conversation with Newsroom Afrika’s Vuyo Mvoko at the South African National Editors’ Forum’s fundraising gala dinner at Houghton Hotel in Johannesburg on Friday night, Motsepe said he “visited 45 countries” as part of his turnaround strategy.

“When you make a commitment, you have to be clear there is going to be a significant improvement and change,” Motsepe said.

“I’m very pleased and very proud. There’s a lot of credit people give me for the successes of Caf and credit should go to the 54 [football association] presidents on the continent, to the staff.

“I thought I would have one term. Last year my period came to an end and then I announced I was going to step down and the sponsors said, ‘If you leave we’re going to leave with you’.

“We had made such enormous progress and were at a critical stage. I’m very happy and proud – African football will never be the same again.”

Motsepe was asked if sponsors threatening to leave speaks to a need for a strong succession plan in Caf’s leadership for when he does depart the ruling body.

He stressed he “was confident there were very good leaders in place” at Caf as his first term was ending but admitted identifying successors who will have the confidence of investors will be crucial.

“When I was president of [the] Black Business [Council], one thing you always learn is while you are president there’s a lot of enormous progress and we learn all the time that often it’s more important what happens when you’re not president any more.

“We are making tremendous progress and are confident the people who take over from me will continue the good work all of us have done over the last few years.”

He said his mission rehabilitating Caf “takes a lot of hard, hard work with a lot of pressure on your family”.

“It’s critically important there’s a clear understanding of what the objectives are. And the people who’ve been involved in behaviour and conduct of the past where questions of governance and legality were not adhered to, you’ve got to call behind closed doors and say, ‘Now let’s understand what’s going to happen’.

“You also have to make them understand that this new dispensation is good for them and will benefit them enormously.”