Motsepe’s CAF presidency under pressure after AFCON U-turn as Eto’o and others circle
Patrice Motsepe’s presidency of the Confederation of African Football is under pressure after he announced last week a U-turn on the Africa Cup of Nations cycle, with Caf’s executive committee meeting in Abidjan next month expected to confirm a return to a biennial schedule. Rival officials, including Samuel Eto’o, are positioning themselves as potential replacements.
The U-turn comes 10 months after a decision was taken to stage Afcon every four years, a reversal that sources say has wide support across the continent but has also weakened trust in Caf’s leadership. Most national association presidents were reportedly unaware Motsepe planned to announce the proposed change until the issue was raised at a strategic conference in Cape Verde last week. Motsepe confirmed he is not intending to stand for re-election in 2029 and pledged Africa’s "unconditional support" for Gianni Infantino’s re-election as Fifa president in March on the "unanimous" behalf of all 54 of Caf’s member associations.
Potential challengers are understood to be lining up. They include Samuel Eto’o, the president of Cameroon’s federation and a member of Caf’s executive committee, Ahmed Yahya of Mauritania, Côte d’Ivoire’s Yacine Idriss Diallo, and Souleiman Waberi, a Fifa council member from Djibouti who has been charged with embezzlement and money laundering and has denied the allegations. Sources also say other candidates may emerge from southern Africa.
Sources indicate rivals are attempting to secure Gianni Infantino’s approval should Motsepe be persuaded to step down early, and that Infantino could hold significant influence over Motsepe’s future. An alternative route would be to challenge Motsepe through Caf’s statutory mechanisms: an extraordinary general assembly can be convened after a written request from at least two-thirds of the members of the executive committee.
Relations between Motsepe and Infantino were reported to have strained after Motsepe allowed Somali referee Omar Artan, who was denied entry to the United States for the 2026 World Cup, to take charge of Uefa’s Super Cup final in August amid tensions with European football’s governing body. Sources said those tensions have eased in recent weeks as Infantino has sought to solidify his support in Africa.
Motsepe used the Cape Verde conference to promise annual distributions of about $700,000 (£528,000) from Caf to each association, an increase of $500,000, and to increase payments to executive committee members for attending meetings from $150 to $350 while introducing an annual bonus of about $8,000. Concerns over Caf’s finances persist, with a broadcast deal signed with IMG due to expire after the 2027 Afcon and reports casting doubt on whether Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda will be ready to host in June and July; some sources predict that tournament could be pushed back to Christmas and the new year, which would cause major disruption to the European club season.
Caf is believed to have received broadcast offers for future tournaments from IMG and an unnamed firm, though it is not known how any package would be structured or whether a return to a two-year Afcon cycle could affect commercial value. A Caf spokesperson said the process remained ongoing and that no rights had been awarded.
The immediate next step is the Caf executive committee meeting in Abidjan next month, where the return to a biennial Africa Cup of Nations cycle is expected to be confirmed; Caf’s spokesperson has emphasized that negotiations over broadcast rights remain ongoing and no deals have been finalised.