24 May 2023 - 3:30 PM
IMAGO | President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Patrice Motsepe hosting a press conference in Algiers, Algeria.
African football chief under scrutiny over secret Saudi World Cup deal
- Last week CAF unveiled a deal with the Saudi Football Federation. Subsequent reports have suggested Saudi sponsors will be saviours of an African Super League. Both are seen as key to building support for a 2030 Saudi World Cup bid.
- Allegations of unilateral decision-making and undisclosed sponsorship plan cause stir in CAF Exco.
- Why it matters: Saudi Arabia’s aggressive dealmaking in the run up to a vote for the 2030 World Cup bears echoes of Qatar’s lobbying 15 years ago. But in a supposedly transparent environment do they stand up to scrutiny?
- The perspective: Africa is the key battleground for the 2030 World Cup bid race, but with the CAF president seemingly acting unilaterally, will his deals with Saudi Arabia backfire?
The head of the African Football Confederation (CAF), Patrick Motsepe, has come under scrutiny amidst accusations of a lack of transparency in his dealings with Saudi Arabia, with leading African football officials only learning about key deals with the kingdom via the media.
Last week CAF unveiled a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Saudi Football Federation (SAFF), and subsequent reports in the Guardian newspaper have stated that Saudi Arabia is in talks with CAF over a $
Get instant access by signing up for a 7-day free trial
You will receive a link that activates your trial in an email.
