By Michael Sherman
JOHANNESBURG - Former Bafana Bafana captain Neil Tovey on Thursday said Patrice Motsepe will be an excellent choice for Confederation of African Football (Caf) president, as the mining magnate was the ethical choice.
“He won’t be in it for the money. What’s happened with some of the previous presidents is that they’ve only been there to fill their pockets and not for the betterment of the game,” the 58-year-old Tovey said.
"For Patrice Motsepe it’s about wanting to make things happen on the African continent. He won’t first be looking at filling his pockets and then Caf’s.”
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Tovey was referring to the previous Caf president Ahmad Ahmad, who was banned from football for two years by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) for corruption on Monday.
The three other candidates (Ivory Coast’s Jacques Anouma, Augustin Senghor from Senegal and Mauritania Football Federation president Ahmed Yahya) for Caf president have also withdrawn, which now paves the way for 59-year-old Motsepe’s election unopposed. The Caf presidency election will be held on Friday.
Tovey who made 354 appearances for Kaizer Chiefs and won 52 caps for his nation - which included leading Bafana to Africa Cup of Nations glory as hosts in 1996 - said having a South African hold the Caf presidency for the first time in the 64-year history of the footballing body, can only bode well for the Southern African region.
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“What’s most important, is that the Southern African region now have a representative. Presidents have been totally dominated by North or West Africans. Now we’ve got the opportunity with a Southern African to follow up after Ahmad Ahmad who didn’t cover himself in glory.
“It’s a good thing that this part of the world will be thought about, not just the top end of Africa.”
As a mining billionaire, Motsepe would have considerable influence in bringing more money into the game explained Tovey.
“He will also have a lot of pulling power when it comes to getting sponsors into the game and within Caf. He won’t have a problem with bringing money into the federation.”
“When he’s got something on his mind to do, he won’t settle for second best. He will have plans in place and have those plans backed up by the best possible people. Resources and people are so important in a federation like Caf - that you are looking after them and that they are able to do their job to the best of their ability.”
African News Agency (ANA)