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CAF President Patrice Motsepe has called on African football stakeholders to remain intentional in a bid to put the game on the continent among the best in the world.
The next 12 months will see four African clubs participate in the FIFA Club World Cup in June, before the Women's and Men's Africa Cup of Nations take centre stage in July and December-January as we build up to next year’s FIFA World Cup.
Speaking exclusively to SABC Sport, Motsepe, who earlier today announced the renewal of another key partnership with freight company Africa Global Logistics in Johannesburg, says the bar needs to keep being raised to compete with European football on all fronts.
"Well, you know, we look at football as an important, as an important vehicle for opportunities, for job creation, for improving the living conditions of our people in South Africa and on the continent,” Motsepe said.
“Part of that is African football, whether it's football for men or football for women, must be as good as the best in the world and it requires investment and it requires employing the best coaches and paying the players, both male players or female players, paying them competitive salaries and paying the coaches competitive salaries as well.
“Ensuring that football spectators and fans enjoy watching South African football at the stadiums and for the whole of the continent, every one of the 54 nations or countries on the continent.
“The quality of football must be appealing because many of our people watch European football and they watch Brazillian football and in order for us to want to make them watch our football, we've gotta make sure that it improves all the time, it's exciting, it's competitive, it is as good as European football and it's as good as the best in the world."
Having last month entered his second term as head of CAF, Motsepe, who led the Confederation through a groundbreaking four years from 2021, refuses to gloat over the successes and insists he values the criticism more than the praise.
"The important thing is for me as president, I leave the judgement of how well we have done or even, where there may have been failures to yourselves and to various other commentators because it is the criticism that helps us focus on those areas where we might think we're doing well or maybe even better."
