Mining billionaire and president of Confederation of African Football (CAF), Patrice Motsepe, wants Bafana Bafana to emulate Morocco in the next World Cup which will be co-hosted by the US, Mexico and Canada in 2026.
Morocco rewrote history books when they became the first African country to reach the semi-finals of a Fifa World Cup in Qatar in 2022.
Speaking at the schools’ sports sponsorship launch in Sandton on Thursday, Motsepe said South Africa should be one of the best football nations on the continent.
“The talent is there, the facilities are there, the skills are there and that is why I encourage everyone, the Department of Sport, the PSL [Premier Soccer League] to work together and aim to emulate Morocco and other countries that did well at the next Fifa World Cup,” Motsepe said.
“We are so proud of what they achieved, and South Africa should aim for the same. This country has a lot of resilience and amazing people, it is a country that does not give up.
“What Morocco did should inspire us. We saw the Soweto derby, it was beautiful and 80 000 people were there.
“When I was growing up, there was no [Mamelodi] Sundowns and we used to go to the stadiums as little boys. I know how much people in South Africa love football.”
He added that his family, which is behind the Motsepe Foundation, is all about philanthropy.
“This is the reason why we ventured into football. Football is a tool to reach the poor masses and a means of bringing people together on the continent. We must just make [sure] that we safeguard the money we are investing and that it makes a difference.
“We invested R30-million in KwaZulu-Natal for flood victims and for water in the province, but the reality is that people did not get the water.
“We are investigating that, and we will need to make sure that the money is used for the right reasons.”
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