‘Why South Africa’s Motsepe is favoured to win CAF election’ |

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Patrice Motsepe the South African candidate to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) addresses the media during a press conference delivering his manifesto in Johannesburg on February 25, 2021. – Motsepe is running against three other candidates, Jacques Anouma of Ivory Coast, Augustin Senghor of Senegal and Ahmed Yahya of Mauritania. (Photo by Phill Magakoe / AFP)

CAS hear Ahmad’s appeal
Getting three of the top candidates in the Confederation of African (CAF) presidential election to shelve their ambition for other positions in the football body has been tagged a big boost to the efforts to reposition African football.

Cote d’Ivoire’s Jacques Anouma, Senegal’s Augustin Senghor and Mauritania’s Ahmed Yahya are in contention for the CAF presidency alongside South Africa’s Patrice Motsepe.

According to sources monitoring the run up to the elections, Motsepe would be elected unopposed if the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) upholds FIFA’s five-year ban of current CAF President, Ahmad Ahmad. It is believed that Senghor and Yahya have agreed to step down for Motsepe to become CAF vice presidents, while Anouma will become a special adviser to Motsepe

The Guardian learnt that a meeting attended by the top contenders in the elections and some FIFA officials, including president, Gianni Infantino, in Rabat late last month spelt out the route to the new board of the continental football body, with members agreeing to rally round Motsepe for the top job.

The move by the top contenders, according to CAF football experts, means that Ahmad’s reign as the boss of African football will come to an end on March 12 even if he contests in the election.

FIFA banned Ahmad from all football related matters for five years over alleged breaches of the ethics code. CAS temporarily suspended the suspension in January.

The world sports arbitration body was expected to deliberate on Ahmad’s case yesterday with the outcome determining whether the Malagasy will contest in the CAF elections scheduled for Rabat, Morocco on March 12.



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