Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) boss, Dr Patrice Motsepe, has lavished praise on President John Dramani Mahama, hailing his unwavering commitment to football development and pledged closer collaboration to propel the beautiful game across the continent.

In a powerful show of CAF’s renewed focus on youth empowerment through football, Dr Motsepe led a high-powered delegation to the Jubilee House in Accra, shortly after arriving into Ghana for an Executive Committee meeting and the grand finale of the CAF African Schools Championship.

The meeting, held at the seat of government, explored strategies to strengthen football structures and deepen partnerships between CAF and  governments — a crucial pillar in Dr Motsepe’s vision to elevate African football to the global stage.

“I want to thank the Head of State, President Mahama. He’s an outstanding leader and he is doing an excellent work,” Dr Motsepe told the media during a press conference at the Kempinski Hotel last Saturday afternoon.

President’s commitment

“His commitment to supporting football in Ghana and working together with our brother, Kurt (Simeon-Okraku), is excellent news for the future. We need partnerships between the government and football in every one of our 54 countries. The future of Ghanaian and African football is bright,” he declared.

Among those who accompanied the CAF President to the Jubilee House was Ghana Football Association (GFA) President, Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku, who last month became the sixth Ghanaian to be elected onto CAF’s revered Executive Committee. 

In a further show of Ghana’s growing influence, the GFA boss was later appointed as CAF’s new 2nd Vice-President during the landmark Executive Committee meeting held in Accra last Saturday. 

Meanwhile, Dr Motsepe sounded a firm warning against football violence and hooliganism, insisting there was no place for such behaviour in the sport. He revealed that CAF was currently engaged in deliberations aimed at intensifying efforts to stamp out the menace.

“To have a single fan injured at a stadium is something we do not want to experience under any circumstances. And worse still, to have a single fan lose his or her life at the stadium is something we can never take enough precautionary measures against,” he emphasised.

“There are ongoing negotiations and assessments at CAF to adopt the best practices from elsewhere. But make no mistake — our commitment is deep and unwavering. We are steadfastly determined to ensure that stadiums are safe, welcoming spaces where fans, supporters and spectators feel secure and protected.”