South African billionaire mining magnate Patrice Motsepe was elected unopposed as the new Confederation of African Football president, at the organisation’s congress in Morocco on Friday.
Motsepe replaces Ahmad Ahmad of Madagascar, who was elected four years ago but suspended last November on corruption charges.
The 59-year-old Motsepe becomes the eighth president in the 64-year history of African football’s governing body.
His election was agreed in a deal brokered by FIFA president Gianni Infantino a week before the election, with two of Motsepe’s three opponents set to be appointed as CAF vice presidents.
Motsepe is the brother-in-law of South African president Cyril Ramaphosa and one of the richest men on the continent. He said he had a 10-point business plan for the future of the African football.
“The next six months will lay the foundation to ensure African football is globally successful and globally competitive. We need to put the financial position of CAF in a significantly more healthy position,” Motsepe told the congress.
Ahmad had made a last-minute bid to stand for re-election but his appeal against his ban was rejected by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on Monday.
The 52 voting countries at Friday’s congress swept out all but one of Africa’s six representatives on the FIFA Council, the all-powerful cabinet at the heart of the running of the game.
Only Egypt’s Hany Abo Rida kept his place with Mathurin de Chacus (Benin), Mamoutou Toure (Mali), Fouzi Lekjaa (Morocco), Amaju Pinnick (Nigeria) and Isha Johansen (Sierra Leone) newly elected.
(Writing by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town; Editing by Toby Davis)
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