Is CAF President Patrice Motsepe’s dream of an African World Cup winner realistic?
At a press conference in Johannesburg on Tuesday Patrice Motsepe President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) four days after being elected set out his plans to take the sport forward across the continent.
At a CAF General Assembly meeting in Morocco, The 59-year-old South African mining billionaire revealed what he wants during his time in charge.
He said, “During the next World Cup and also during the forthcoming World Cups, that African nations compete (in) and, if you look at what we said in the manifesto, it’s part of our plan that an African team must win the World Cup. I think let’s clap hands for that.
Hence the question, Is CAF President Patrice Motsepe’s dream of an African World Cup winner realistic?
African sides have always struggled since the first appearance by an African nation at the World Cup was in 1934, when Egypt participated in that edition hosted by Italy.
Since then countries such as Cameroon with the most appearances in the competition from Africa, ahead of Nigeria, and Morocco and Tunisia are powerhouses from the continent.
The best performance from an African country at the global competition will be at the quarterfinal stage from Senegal in 1998 and Ghana in 2010.
The quest for glory however will not be achievable during the tenure of Patrice Motsepe as a lot of groundwork is needed.
To win the world cup, talent is never enough as infrastructure is needed at the grassroots level for proper development and teaching the game of football and all the techniques.
The African teams have suffered from a deficiency of tactical know-how at the biggest stage and hence the dream f Patrice Motsepe is a mission impossible during his tenure.
