The Confederation of African Football (CAF) president, Patrice Motsepe, has addressed the stadium violence that was recently witnessed during CAF Champions League matches involving two South African clubs.
The first incident took place at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria. A section of Mamelodi Sundowns and Esperance de Tunis supporters had a brawl after their quarterfinal match.
Orlando stadium
A week later, the unsavoury scenes were also witnessed at the Orlando Stadium. This time MC Alger fans, players, and the technical team reacted aggressively to the defeat at the hands of Orlando Pirates after their quarterfinal tie.
“Let me start by making sure that we send a message to all our football supporters and fans and spectators on the continent that there’s a deep, deep commitment to make sure that going to the stadium is safe and healthy,” Motsepe said during a CAF sponsorship renewal announcement with Africa Global Logistics at the Sandton Convention Centre on Wednesday.
“And there’s a huge engagement that is currently underway within CAF. We are also talking to other confederations to see what measures they’ve taken. In different parts of the world, there have been huge incidents, and I’m confident we’ll make progress.
“Because we need our youth, our families and parents to come to the stadium knowing that it’s a wonderful experience. For us as well it’s part of developing those communities and creating jobs. And creating a future for our young people. So, we’re keeping a focus on that.”
Both clubs found guilty, fined
Both Sundowns and Pirates were found guilty. And they have since been slapped with fines of $100 000 (R1.9-million) and $50 000 (R941 095) respectively.
Meanwhile, AGL CEO Philippe Labonne expressed his excitement for renewing their partnership with CAF.
“It’s an exciting and symbolic moment for Africa Global Logistics,” Labonne said.
“I’m proud to announce the renewal of our partnership with CAF. We’ll once again be the logistics partner of the Men’s Africa Cup of Nations 2026 and the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in 2025.
“We are proud to extend our relationship and to strengthen it. This is a long-term commitment, a family commitment. And this commitment is anchored in a shared vision with CAF.
“Our role as logistics partner is to ensure that every major competition of CAF runs smoothly, reliably, and sustainably.”
