Following a lot of speculations and pronouncements, the names of candidates who are vying for the CAF presidency have finally been revealed.  The continent football governing body will hold its elections in March 2021.

The Current CAF President Ahmad Ahmad is seeking  reelected for a second term but will face competition from South African Billionaire Patrice Motsepe, Jacques Anouma from Ivory Coast, Ahmed Yahya from Mauritania and Augustin Senghor.

The coming elections will provide an opportunity for Africa to redeem its football or completely destroy its foundations to rubble.

Ahmad Ahmad (Madagascar)

On 17 March 2017, at the CAF General Assembly in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia the year of the 60th anniversary of the institution, Ahmad Ahmad won the election by obtaining 34 votes out of 54 voters.

The CAF supreme hailing from the Island of Madagascar has come under fire during most of his tenure in office. Ahmad has been under investigation for allegations of corruption and abuse of authority.

Patrice Motsepe (South Africa)

Motsepe is a South African mining billionaire businessman of  Tswana descent. He is the founder and executive chairman of African Rainbow Minerals which has interests in gold, ferrous metals, base metals, and platinum. Motsepe is the owner of Mamelodi Sundowns FC a Premier league soccer club, one of the most successful clubs in South Africa.

He successfully joined the race for CAF President after receiving endorsement from the South African Football Association.

Jacques Anouma (Ivory Coast)

Ivory Coast’s Football Federation (FIF) announced its support for Anouma, a former member of Fifa’s executive board.

Anouma is to run for the Confederation of African Football (Caf) presidency next March – seven years after his first attempt.

Ahmed Yahya (Mautitania)

Ahmed Yahya was the fourth candidate to announce his candidacy for the Confederation of African Football (Caf) presidential elections in March.

The head of the Mauritanian federation (FFRIM) since 2011, Yahya was named the continent’s best football administrator at the 2017 Caf awards.

Under Yahya, who was re-elected for a third term in office last year with a landslide victory, Mauritania achieved a maiden qualification for the Africa Cup of Nations in November 2018 when beating Botswana.

Augustin Senghor (Senegal)

Senghor, who is already on the CAF executive committee, has been president of the federation in Senegal since 2009. He is politician and mayor of Goree, an island off the coast of the Senegalese capital Dakar, and president of top-flight side US Goree.

Senegal’s national team, is number 21 in FIFA’s world rankings, and is the top-ranked African squad.

Resuscitation or Death

African Football is currently in the ICU and just like an IV in the veins of a critically ill patient – it is without question that there is need to pump fresh blood into the system before football collapses into a coma.

The candidates have been unveiled now is the time for all the delegates that will be entrusted to vote to have a moment to analyze the contenders. The choice is in our hands