Motsepe is ticking all the boxes

CAF president Dr Patrice Motsepe is ticking boxes, one at a time, of his campaign promises that he made to be elected to the highest seat in continental football.

In one of his promises, the former Mamelodi Sundowns president committed to upgrading women’s football to the highest level possible and promised to introduce a Super League for the 24 continental teams to compete, based on their FIFA rankings.

Women’s Afcon, which was held in Morocco recently, was of a high standard and the individual teams taking part were highly impressive.

In one of the outstanding results from group stages, our own South African national women’s team, Banyana Banyana, shocked their arch-rivals, Nigerian outfit the Super Falcons, with a 2-1 win.

The South African women’s team has improved by leaps and bounds, thanks to the domestic league which is sponsored by Hollywoodbets. All the teams have improved, they’re tough and are playing attractive football, and this has been Motsepe’s vision for this tournament.

An African Super League will be introduced in August 2022 but will kick-off in August 2023. This is a multi-dollar tournament that will benefit SA football fraternity.

All CAF continental tournament games are broadcast live on DStv’s sports channels.

In the past, there was a TV black-out due to corruption and mismanagement by the previous CAF administration. The next thing that we need Motsepe to introduce is VAR. I wish he could start with continental tournaments to introduce VAR and to the rest of the domestic leagues all over the continent. Already, the Women’s Afcon has set a precedent for the men’s national football team to emulate.

In the SA women’s team, there’s continuity and consistency in team selection that’s lacking in their men counterpart, Bafana Bafana. The women participants are matured and a marvel to watch.

The way women’s teams have improved is commendable and the president and his team deserve accolades. Our wish as soccer lovers is for the continental football to be on the same level as the rest of the global stage.

I hope and pray that individual continental teams cooperate with the Caf hierarchy and improve the quality of our football programmes.

By Moeti Molelekoa, Welkom