Patrice Motsepe’s leadership of the Confederation of African Football is under growing pressure, with officials from across the continent warning they have lost trust in the president and rivals including Samuel Eto’o positioning themselves potentially to replace him.
A return to a biennial Africa Cup of Nations cycle is expected to be confirmed at Caf’s executive committee meeting in Abidjan next month, after Motsepe surprisingly announced the U-turn last week — 10 months after the decision had been taken to hold the tournament every four years. The move back to a two-year cycle is said to have wide support within Africa, but several sources have indicated a weakening of trust in Caf’s leadership, with some questioning Motsepe’s management.
Most national association presidents are said to have been unaware that Motsepe intended to announce the proposed change to Afcon’s frequency until the issue was raised at a strategic conference in Cape Verde last week. At that same gathering, Motsepe confirmed he was not intending to stand for re-election for a third time when his term expires 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.
Infantino is understood to remain extremely popular in Africa, even though there are 10 to 15 member associations who would consider voting against him. Motsepe’s potential rivals for the Caf presidency are believed to be attempting to gain Infantino’s approval should the South African billionaire be persuaded to step down early. They include Eto’o, the former Barcelona and Inter striker who is president of Cameroon’s federation and a member of Caf’s executive committee, along with 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. Other candidates may emerge from southern Africa.
Sources indicate that Infantino could hold the key to whether Motsepe continues. The alternative would be to challenge Motsepe through Caf’s statutory mechanisms, which allow an extraordinary general assembly to be convened after a written request from at least two-thirds of the members of the executive committee. Infantino is thought to have fallen out with Motsepe after Motsepe allowed the 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 growing tensions with European football’s governing body. However, sources have indicated their relationship has improved in recent weeks as Infantino has sought to solidify his support in Africa.
At the Cape Verde conference, Motsepe promised annual distributions of about $700,000 (£528,000) from Caf to each association — an increase of $500,000 — and is understood to have raised payments to executive committee members for attending meetings from $150 to $350, while introducing an annual bonus payment of about $8,000 for them.
That comes despite growing concerns over Caf’s finances, with a broadcast deal signed with IMG due to expire after the 2027 Afcon. There are major doubts about whether that tournament will go ahead owing to questions over the readiness of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda to host in June and July, with some sources predicting it could be pushed back to Christmas and the new year — a shift that would cause major disruption to the European club season. Caf is believed to have broadcast offers for future tournaments from IMG and an unnamed firm, although it is not known how the package will be structured or whether the proposed return to a two-year cycle could affect its commercial value. A Caf spokesperson said the process remained ongoing and that no rights had been awarded.