Africa must finally get its hands on the World Cup, Confederation of African Football (CAF) President Patrice Motsepe declared on Thursday, insisting the continent has the talent to conquer football’s biggest stage.
Speaking at the CAF Strategy Meeting in Santa Maria, Cape Verde, Motsepe said African football had already proved itself to the world.
“We know how good we are and the world has seen how good we are. Africa knows how good we are. But we have to win the World Cup,” he said.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino also praised Africa’s footballing talent, hailing what he called ‘the evolution of African football’ over the past decade and pointing to $1 billion invested in 124 projects across the continent through the FIFA Forward programme.
“African talent, dear friends, has shaped and is shaping more and more the world of football, and we have to provide the opportunities for these talents to shine on the global stage,” Infantino said.
Motsepe also threw his weight behind Infantino’s re-election bid, pledging to ‘support and stand by’ the FIFA chief despite the backlash over a failed plan to sell stakes in football competitions, including the World Cup, to private investors.
“Our partnership with Gianni Infantino, our history with Gianni Infantino, has been based on where we come from, but also on our belief, in our belief that every person has the right to be heard,” Motsepe said.
The CAF president insisted that governance, ethics, transparency and due process were ‘a matter of life and death’ for him, taking a swipe at African football’s past leadership over its record.
He also challenged anyone with allegations against him or Infantino to take their complaints to FIFA’s Ethics Committee.
The controversial investment proposal sparked a furious backlash, with European football associations threatening to boycott future FIFA tournaments.
Infantino’s senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro also quit in July, branding the scheme a ‘bad deal’ for football.
Without directly addressing the row, Infantino insisted FIFA welcomed concerns with ‘open arms’ and wanted member associations to have their say on the future of the game.
“We need to continue together on this path, because it is up to you, the member associations of CAF that are also members associations of FIFA, to tell us what you want to do, how you want to continue, and how we can make you stronger and better,” Infantino said.
“Football belongs to everyone. Everyone and everywhere. And we have to find the opportunities and the resources for this to become a reality,” he added.
The CAF Strategy Conference runs from October 7 to 9 on Cape Verde’s Sal Island.
Source: Viory
