Motsepe: Adamu a worthy candidate who fits CAF succession plan for SG role

Adamu’s appointment is said to have been proposed and ratified by the CAF Executive Committee following their meeting at the Giza Palace Hotel in Cairo yesterday morning. He becomes the first Nigerian in seven decades to occupy this position and has been serving as the CAF Director of Competitions. Motsepe says that in Adamu, they have an experienced administrator who knows African football very well.

"Samson is fully bilingual, because it's important for me and CAF that the general secretary particulary when you've got a president who's French or Portuguese is almost non-existant that you've got a secreatry general that is fully bilingual. Samson loves African football. My relatives in Nigeria and other parts of the continent should feel very proud that we've got one of our very own from the continent," said Motsepe

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"The vice presidents will lead the process and report to me on the identification of a permanent general secrately. I've told Samson that, whether he likes it or not, I'm going to put pressure on him to also apply for the position to be permanent."

"I did promise him that I will give him a little bit more money because he says, 'President, I have a lot of expenses'. Of course, we want to employ some of the smartest and brightest in the secretariat and part of employing some the smartest and brightest is to look after them and pay them competitive salaries. I am confident that Samson will do a good job."

Mosengo-Omba’s departure didn’t come as a surprise, as in the past few months, there have been a lot of reports about him having passed the retirement age at CAF, but Motsepe also revealed that now the Swiss-Congolese national will be channeling his energy towards reviving the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) footballing structures, fueling a speculation that he will soon take over the FECOFA presidency.

Adamu’s appointment is also seen as a logical step in CAF's succession plan, as he’s at the heart of the organisation’s operations, overseeing all tournaments. There had also been reports that he was up against former Swiss international Gelson Fernandes, who was born in Cape Verde and currently occupies the role of FIFA’s Deputy Director of Member Associations and was seen as a FIFA candidate, a move said not to be favoured by the broader CAF executive. Motsepe also revealed that the process for appointing a permanent SG will be handled by his deputies.

Mosengo-Omba arrived at CAF on the same day that Motsepe was elected CAF President in 2021 and helped steer the organisation to greater heights, as reflected in its growth over the past five years. But it was not without challenges, as some member associations accused him of autocratic leadership. But Motsepe says he deserves some credit for the good work done.