CAF Leadership: No Evidence Patrice Motsepe Has Lost Support Across Africa

By Angu Lesley

Football Writer,kick442.com-Cameroon

Claims that Confederation of African Football (CAF) president Patrice Motsepe is losing the confidence of African football leaders have been challenged following renewed debate over his leadership and possible contenders for the organisation’s presidency.

The latest claims emerged after a report suggested that officials from across the continent had become increasingly dissatisfied with Motsepe and that potential rivals, including Cameroon Football Federation president Samuel Eto’o, could be positioning themselves to challenge him in the future. However, CAF media chief Luxolo September dismissed the narrative, questioning the basis of reports portraying the South African administrator as being out of favour.

Motsepe’s most recent election provides perhaps the clearest indication of his standing within African football. In March 2025, he was re-elected CAF president unopposed for another four-year term, running until 2029. No challenger emerged during the nomination process, while his re-election followed support from Member Association presidents and other stakeholders.

Since beginning his second mandate, Motsepe has continued to lead major CAF initiatives involving competitions, commercial development and the organisation’s long-term strategy. All 54 CAF Member Associations were represented at the recent CAF Strategy Conference in Cabo Verde, where the future direction of African football was discussed. Differences over issues such as the AFCON calendar are expected within an organisation representing 54 federations and should not automatically be interpreted as a rejection of the president.

With Motsepe still holding a clear electoral mandate and no formal movement from CAF Member Associations publicly challenging his leadership, claims that he has broadly lost support across Africa remain difficult to substantiate. Potential future candidates may emerge ahead of the next election, but political positioning is not the same as an organised revolt. For now, the available evidence points to a CAF president firmly in office rather than one facing an established continent-wide loss of confidence.