In an exclusive interview with FRANCE 24, the president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Patrice Motsepe discussed his ambitions for African football and his tenure as CAF president. He also rejected accusations of defamation from Cameroon's football federation president Samuel Eto'o and responded to allegations of sexual abuse involving several youth football team coaches in Gabon.
Motsepe stated that one of his objectives is for an African team to win the next World Cup in 2026. According to him, the most recent Africa Cup of Nations, which was held in Ivory Coast earlier this year, was "the most successful in the history of African football". It brought in $80 million, saw a doubling of sponsor numbers and attracted over 2 billion television viewers worldwide, he said.
The CAF president explained that he found "fundamental problems" when he arrived as the head of the confederation in 2021, particularly in terms of "governance, auditing [and] transparency". He noted that his mission involved ensuring that CAF regained the trust of sponsors and partners.
Asked whether he will again run for CAF president next year, Motsepe said that one of his objectives is to establish a solid foundation and leadership team, so that he can be replaced if necessary. But he did not rule out running for a second term, insisting that the "good work" done must not go to waste.
To those who say that the real boss of CAF is FIFA President Gianni Infantino, Motsepe responded that this kind of allegation does not bother him. He said it reminded him of a past when Africa was not considered capable of making its own decisions.
Motsepe went on to reject the accusations of Cameroon's football federation president and former star player Samuel Eto'o, who claimed that CAF is defaming him through an investigation into match-fixing in Cameroon. "None of us, starting with me as the president of CAF, are above the law," Motsepe said, adding that the investigation is being conducted in accordance with "due process" and respect for the presumption of innocence.
Finally, asked about cases of alleged sexual abuse by several youth team coaches in Gabon, he said that CAF is taking the matter very seriously. For Motsepe, the fact that the president of the Gabonese federation – who is accused of failing to inform the authorities of the alleged abuse – was recently re-elected to the CAF executive committee is not a sign of contempt for alleged victims.
CAF is looking into the problem "as a matter of urgency", but is often hampered by the fact that suspects are sometimes imprisoned without trial in their home countries, Motsepe said.
