CAF: towards a ousting of Patrice Motsepe in favor of Fouzi Lekjaa?

Is a wind of change blowing at the top of African football? Re-elected for four years as president of the Confederation of African Football in March 2025, Patrice Motsepe is not expected to finish his term. While he is aiming for the highest office in South Africa, the executive is reportedly about to join the African National Congress (ANC), the country's main political party, ahead of the upcoming presidential elections.

A position that has become increasingly untenable

This move comes as the term of South African president Cyril Ramaphosa, at the head of the party, comes to an end in 2027. For several weeks, there has been a campaign in favor of Motsepe. Although he long indicated he was not interested, the mining magnate is now reconsidering his stance and ambitions.

Another pressing issue pushing toward a departure: tense relationships and mistrust from part of his Executive Committee. The latest episode: the denial surrounding the expansion of the AFCON to 28 teams, even though Motsepe himself had announced the tournament's enlargement during his press conference in Johannesburg.

A motion of no confidence against Motsepe?

A situation that illustrates the isolation of a president who has also lost the support of two of his main allies: Gianni Infantino since the signing of the agreement with UEFA allowing Sudanese referee Omar Artan to officiate at the UEFA Super Cup (seen as a snub and a stance against FIFA and in favor of UEFA after the World Cup episode). As well as Fouzi Lekjaa, since the matter of the 2025 AFCON final—whose winner will finally be decided after the hearings scheduled for October 8 in front of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

According to our information, a motion of no confidence is brewing internally to dismiss Patrice Motsepe. This will be presented at the next CAF Executive Committee meeting, before being submitted for approval at the institution's General Assembly scheduled for October.

On the sidelines of the kickoff of the Women's AFCON 2026 this Sunday, Fouzi Lekjaa, president of the Moroccan Football Federation, shared with other federation presidents his intention to run for the position. A seat that would automatically fall to him as the first vice-president of CAF should the motion pass. In addition, Ahmed Yahya, Souleiman Waberi, and even Samuel Eto'o are eyeing the role, although none has yet declared officially.