Council for Southern Africa Football Associations (Cosafa) annual general meeting (AGM) on Saturday endorsed Mamelodi Sundowns owner Patrice Motsepe’s CAF presidency candidature.
Delegates at the AGM, led by Cosafa president Phillip Chiyangwa, unanimously agreed to support Motsepe when the continental football governing body goes to the polls on March 22 to elect new office bearers.
He said: “Dr Motsepe is our candidate, and we endorse him fully. We believe he has the right mix of business acumen and connections in the corporate world to lead CAF through what will be a difficult period in the coming years.
“The name of Dr Motsepe is synonymous with good governance and integrity, and he is the perfect candidate to meet the challenges football on our continent faces.
“Fifa president Gianni Infantino often talks of how unity is required in African football to move the game forward and we firmly believe Dr Motsepe can bring that.”
Motsepe faces Augustin Senghor, Jacques Anouma and Ahmad Ould in the race.
FAM president Walter Nyamilandu, who attended the AGM, also confirmed the association’s support for Motsepe.
“Yes, that was agreed and it was unanimous,” said Nyamilandu said FAM would have to wait for the AGM before deciding whether to support the South African business mogul .Nyamilandu who earlier had
However, FAM’s support for Motsepe will also be reducing Nyamilandu’s chances of retaining the Fifa Council post since victory for the South African will reduce the number of Anglophone slots.
CAF statutes state that an elected president is automatically a Fifa vice-president and in that case, the slots for the region he comes from is reduced.
The statutes Article 18.13b reads: “CAF president being elected prior to other African members of the Fifa Council, the linguistic grouping to which he belongs will have only one remaining position to fill.”
The FAM president faces Lamin Kaba Bajo (Gambia FA President), Nicholas Mwendwa (Kenya FA President), Wallace Karia (Tanzania FA President), Amaju Melvin Pinnick (Nigeria FA President) and Andrew Kamanga Ndanga (Zambia FA President).
But although Cosafa has endorsed Motsepe, the members associations may vote according to their choice at the elections.
However, Nyamilandu said FAM is obliged to support Motsepe.
He said: “It is right and proper to support one another.”
Nyamilandu has to convince the Anglophone bloc voters comprising South Africa, Botswana, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, Uganda, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe
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