CAF President: Africa will gain respect when it wins the World Cup
Patrice Motsepe, President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), expressed his pride in the level of the ongoing Cup of Nations in Côte d’Ivoire, but acknowledged that Africa will receive the respect it deserves when it wins the World Cup one day.
In Qatar 2022, Morocco achieved the greatest African achievement by reaching the semi-finals of the World Cup, but was eliminated from the round of 16 in the Nations Cup by South Africa as part of the surprises of the current edition, which witnessed the brilliance of the lower-ranked teams.
Motsepe believes that the success of unknown teams in Côte d’Ivoire is due to the increase in funds directed to these countries from the CAF.
In addition to Morocco, major teams exited the Nations Cup early, as former champions Ghana, Tunisia and Algeria were eliminated in the group stage, then Egypt, the record holder with seven titles, and Senegal, the defending champion, left in the round of 16.
On the other hand, teams lower in the continental and international rankings shone and achieved amazing results, such as Cape Verde, Guinea, Mauritania, Equatorial Guinea, Mozambique and Namibia.
A day before the start of the tournament, CAF announced an increase in financial rewards, so that the champion will receive seven million dollars, an increase of 40 percent compared to the previous edition.
Motsepe explained to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC): “A lot of players do not get the same amount of money. I have learned over the last 20 years that increasing the money that goes to the players, or the team, will inspire them tremendously.”
He seemed more optimistic about the future, adding: “A lot of money is now also directed to talent development academies, so we can see the results of this investment now and we will see more later. The future looks bright.”
Four teams that had never won the title qualified for the quarter-finals, but Angola and Guinea were eliminated by Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the first to qualify for the semi-finals, yesterday, Friday, and surprises are still on the cards.
Cape Verde will meet South Africa, and Côte d’Ivoire will play against Mali later today to complete the semi-finals. Neither Cape Verde nor Mali have ever won the title.
Motsepe continued: “The quality of African teams has increased tremendously and the public must enjoy watching the matches. They must remain attractive and exciting in order to have commercial value, and this value can be exploited to pay players or coaches and administrators. I am proud of the current level, even the level of world-class referees. African football should be respected because on the field we are as good as the best teams in the world.”
The South African official continued: “There is still a lot of work left, and the results will decide. When an African team wins the World Cup, we will get the appreciation we deserve.”
2024-02-03 14:22:37
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