Increased pressure on Motsepe after backtracking on Africa Cup of Nations system, Eto'o watches the scene

Pressure is mounting on South African Patrice Motsepe, president of the Confederation of African Football, amid growing doubts about his leadership of the federation. This comes as several African officials are positioning themselves to succeed him, led by former Cameroon star Samuel Eto'o, according to a report by The Guardian.

These developments come after Motsepe announced last week a reversal of the decision to hold the Africa Cup of Nations every four years, shifting back to organizing the tournament every two years. This change is expected to be confirmed during the upcoming meeting of the African Union's executive committee in Abidjan next month, despite the fact that the decision to switch to a four-year system was made only about ten months ago. Although there is widespread support for the reversal of the decision within the continent, the manner of its announcement has caused discontent among several officials, especially since most national federation presidents were not previously aware of the new direction.

A report indicates that a number of figures are starting to move in anticipation of a potential leadership change, including Samuel Eto'o, the president of the Cameroon Football Federation and a member of the executive committee of the African Football Confederation, alongside Mauritanian Ahmed Ould Yahya, Ivorian Yacine Idriss Diallo, and Djiboutian Souleiman Waberi, a member of the FIFA Council, who denies allegations of embezzlement and money laundering. Other candidates from the Southern African region may also emerge.

It is believed that Gianni Infantino's position, the President of FIFA, could be a decisive factor in Motsepe's future, especially as potential candidates seek his support. Motsepe has announced that he does not intend to run for a third term when his term ends in 2029, and he has pledged unconditional African support for Infantino's re-election in March, speaking on behalf of the 54 African federations. In contrast, the report indicated growing concerns about the financial situation of the African Football Confederation, at a time when doubts still surround the possibility of holding the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda during June and July, with expectations that it may be postponed to the end of the year and the beginning of the following year, which could cause disruptions in the European club calendar.