FAM says it will seek Cosafa’s clarification on its decision to endorse South African business tycoon Patrice Motsepe as its candidate for CAF presidency.
During its executive committee (ex-co) meeting held on January 27, the Council of Southern African Football Associations (Cosafa) resolved to support Motsepe, who owns South Africa’s premiership club Mamelodi Sundowns.
But Football Association of Malawi (FAM) president Walter Nyamilandu, who is also a Cosafa executive member, yesterday said FAM will seek clarification from Cosafa on how they arrived at the decision.
“We haven’t seen manifestos of all the aspirants yet, so we do not know on what basis they made the decision.
“I also did not attend the [Cosafa ex-co] meeting as I was attending to CAF engagements in Cameroon.
“So, as an association, we will only make an informed decision after going through the manifestos, “ he said.
The FAM president, who is also a Fifa Council member, said it would be tricky to make a commitment at this stage.
Cosafa president Phillip Chiyangwa was quoted in a press statement issued on Thursday as having said: “We are confident that once we make a unanimous decision to back one of our own, other members who want real change at CAF [Confederation of African Football], will join the winning party.
“In Dr. Motsepe, we have a candidate who will usher in a new era for African football.”
The regional football body’s deputy chief executive officer Suzgo Nyirenda, a Malawian, also confirmed the resolution, saying it was “unanimous “.
The 14-member regional body reiterated a decision taken in 2017 that the zone should always support one of its own, in this case Motsepe.
However, three years ago Nyamilandu snubbed Cosafa’s decision to support South Africa Football Association president Danny Jordan and went ahead to contest in a Fifa Council member election which he won.
Apart from Motsepe, the other candidates for CAF presidency are Ivorian football administrator Jacques Anouma, Senegal FA president Augustin Senghor and his Mauritian counterpart Ahmed Yahya.
Incumbent CAF president Ahmad Ahmad was reinstated to his position following a Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) ruling pending the outcome of his appeal case on March 2.
However, Nyamilandu said the odds would still be stacked against Ahmad even in the event that he is cleared because “the other aspirants are campaigning freely while he is not sure of his fate”.
The CAF presidential polls are slated for March 12 in Morocco.
