Cosafa backs Motsepe’s Caf presidency bid

Mehluli Sibanda, Senior Sports Reporter

THE Council of Southern African Football Associations has resolved to back South African billionaire Patrice Motsepe’s bid to become the new Confederation of African Football president.

At a meeting of Cosafa executive committee on Wednesday, it was unanimously resolved that Motsepe is the only candidate endorsed by the 14-member regional body to run for the Caf presidency whose elections are scheduled for 12 March in Rabat, Morocco.

The Cosafa leadership reiterated a decision taken in 2017 that the zone should always support one of its own, in this case Motsepe. In 2017, Cosafa was the first bloc to endorse eventual winner Ahmad Ahmad from Madagascar..

“We are confident that once we take a unanimous decision to back one of our own, other members who want real change in CAF will join the winning party. In Dr Motsepe we have a candidate who will usher in a new era for African football,” said Cosafa president, Phillip Chiyangwa.

Botswana, Comores, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, Zimbabwe are the full members of Cosafa.

Motsepe, the owner of Mamelodi Sundowns is going up against Mauritania Football Association president Ahmed Yahya, Ivorian Jacques Anouma and Senegal FA president Augustin Senghor.