IVORY Coast president Alassane Ouattara acknowledged the trailblazing efforts of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) president Patrice Motsepe to change the face and fortunes of African football by honouring him with the ‘Commander of National Order’ award in Abidjan on Thursday morning.
The ‘Commander of National Order’ is the highest Ivory Coast award the country’s president bestows on distinguished citizens and eminent foreign nationals. Ouattara said Motsepe played a key role in the hugely successful Total Energies CAF Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast. Motsepe also changed the face and fortunes of African football.
“We are exceptionally proud of the work president Motsepe has done since taking over at CAF,” said Ouattara. “The success of the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) is thanks to his and the CAF leadership.
“The award is in recognition of the excellent work he is doing at CAF and in promoting football development in Africa.”
Since his election in March 2021, the South African billionaire rescued the struggling organisation and resolved the television broadcast nightmare. He increased the prize money for various CAF inter-club competitions on an unprecedented scale. For the first time in Afcon history, the Motsepe-led organisation generated $80 million (R1.4 billion) in net profit for the continental showpiece in Ivory Coast in January 2024.
“I am deeply honoured and humbled to receive this award on behalf of the CAF member associations representing the 54 African countries that are CAF members,” said Motsepe.
“My deepest gratitude to president Ouattara and his government and the people of Ivory Coast for this distinguished award.
“The enormous success of Afcon in Ivory Coast was based on the visionary leadership of president Ouattara, the commitment of his government as well as the support of CAF’s 54 member associations, the CAF exco, the secretary general and staff of CAF, Ivory Coast FA president Idriss Diallo, the LOC, the football leadership in Cote d’Ivoire, CAF sponsors and the passionate Ivory Coast and African football supporters.
“The Afcon in Ivory Coast was also an excellent example of football’s capacity to bring together and unite people from different racial, ethnic and religious backgrounds in Africa and worldwide. The people from 180 countries who watched Afcon indicate African football is globally competitive and is as good as the best in the world.”
To date, Motsepe is the only CAF president not from a Francophone nation and his term runs until March 2025. He has not said a word about running for another term of office. However, Hany Hassan Abou Rida, a former president of the Egyptian Football Association, and a member of the Fifa Council, has made himself available as a candidate for the presidency.
Nothing stops Motsepe from being elected president again because CAF allows for three terms in office.
CAF general secretary Véron Mosengo-Omba, the Swiss national born in the DRC, was another official to be honoured by Ouattara. He was conferred with the ‘Officer of the National Order’ award.
Motsepe and Mosengo-Omba were in Abidjan to attend the CAF Africa Cup of Nations 2023 Legacy Handover event ahead of the CAF Coaches’ Symposium.