Eto’o and Others Eye CAF Presidency as Motsepe Faces Pressure

Patrice Motsepe, the president of the Confederation of African Football, is under increasing pressure. Football officials across Africa are reportedly losing faith in him. Potential challengers, including former Cameroon striker Samuel Eto’o, are looking to take his place.

The Guardian from the UK reported on Tuesday that worries about Motsepe’s leadership grew after he changed CAF’s plan. The plan was to hold the Africa Cup of Nations every four years, but he decided to return it to a two-year cycle.

According to Ed Aarons and Romain Molina, the change to a biennial AFCON cycle is expected to be confirmed at CAF’s executive committee meeting next month in Abidjan.

This decision came just 10 months after the initial choice was made to have the competition every four years. The Guardian said that while the proposed change seems to have support across Africa, many sources raised issues about trust in CAF’s leadership and Motsepe’s management.

"Most national association presidents were reportedly unaware that Motsepe intended to announce the proposed change to AFCON’s frequency until it was discussed at a strategic conference in Cape Verde last week," the report noted.

Motsepe also stated that he does not plan to run for a third term when his time ends in 2029. At the Cape Verde conference, he expressed Africa’s "unconditional support" for FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s re-election in March, claiming to speak on the "unanimous" behalf of all 54 CAF member associations.

The Guardian mentioned that Infantino is still favored in Africa. However, between 10 and 15 member associations are reportedly thinking about voting against him, as revealed back in August.

Eto’o, who played for Barcelona and Inter Milan, is one of those positioning themselves as possible successors to Motsepe. He is currently the president of Cameroon’s football federation and part of CAF’s executive committee.

Other potential candidates include Ahmed Yahya from Mauritania, Yacine Idriss Diallo from Côte d’Ivoire, and Souleiman Waberi, a FIFA Council member from Djibouti. The Guardian noted that Waberi has been accused of embezzlement and money laundering, which he denies. There may also be other candidates from southern Africa.

The report mentioned that Motsepe’s rivals are likely seeking Infantino’s support if the South African millionaire decides to step down early. "Sources suggest that Infantino could be the one to decide if Motsepe stays in power," the report said.

Another way to challenge Motsepe would be through CAF’s official processes. An extraordinary general assembly can be called if two-thirds of the executive committee members request it in writing.

The Guardian reported that Infantino and Motsepe may have had some disagreements. This happened after the CAF president allowed Somali referee Omar Artan to officiate in UEFA’s Super Cup final in August. Artan had been denied entry to the United States for the 2026 World Cup due to rising tensions with European football leaders.

Despite this, sources told the newspaper that their relationship has improved in recent weeks as Infantino works to strengthen his support in Africa.

At the Cape Verde conference, Motsepe promised annual payments of about $700,000 (£528,000) to each member association from CAF, which is an increase of $500,000. He also raised payments for executive committee members attending meetings from $150 to $350 and introduced an annual bonus of around $8,000 for them.

These payments come amid worries about CAF’s finances and future broadcasting deals. The Guardian reported that a broadcast agreement with IMG is set to end after the 2027 AFCON.

In a report from February, the newspaper expressed doubts about whether the 2027 tournament would happen as planned due to concerns about Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda being ready to host the competition in June and July.

Some sources believe the tournament might be moved to Christmas and the new year, which would affect the European club season. CAF is also believed to have received broadcast offers for future tournaments from IMG and another unnamed company, though the details and impact of returning to a two-year AFCON cycle on its commercial value are still unclear.

A CAF spokesperson told The Guardian that discussions are ongoing and that no broadcast rights have been finalized.