26 Apr 2022

Sponsoring football is one of the most profitable ways of developing a brand and loyalty, so observes Confederation of African Football (CAF) president, Patrice Motsepe.

Addressing the business community in Gaborone on Monday, Motsepe said the most successful football nations had a partnership among government, the private sector and football.

He added that football was not only about performance on the pitch, but was also about infrastructure development, investments, partnerships and employment creation.

He said the Motsepe family had donated over US$10 million for schools football in Africa because they believed in youth development.

“We also do business with 38 countries in Africa and have partnerships outside the continent,” he said

Motsepe also expressed gratitude as President Mokgweetsi Masisi had promised to increase support for football.

The two leaders had a side meeting during the Forbes Under 30 summit in Gaborone on Monday.

Motsepe also acknowledged  Botswana’s decision to bid to host the continental tournament, Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) , in partnership with Namibia.

He said he would return to South Africa with a sense of pride, confidence and satisfaction that Botswana’s football would be elevated to greater heights.

Motsepe noted that the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations final between Senegal and Egypt earlier this year was watched by a whooping 180 countries.

He also told the business community that there was talent in the country that needed to be tapped into and harnessed. 

He said the Mares qualification for Africa Cup of Nations was a clear indication that there was abundant talent in the country.

For his part, Botswana Football Association (BFA) president, Maclean Letshwiti praised Motsepe for having contributed to South African football, saying the move had been an inspiration for African countries, especially Botswana.

He added that his contribution to football had stirred interest from corporate Botswana and that some companies had come on board on many key areas of development.

Furthermore, he said the business man’s involvement in football had created many opportunities for various households who lived off the game.

Letshwiti also said Motsepe’s work was visible in transforming Mamelodi Sundowns to one of the big teams in Africa.

 He said it was the kind of transformation Africa and Botswana needed as they sought to comply with both FIFA and CAF requirements in club licensing.

Urging local companies to borrow a leaf from Motsepe, Letshwiti reiterated that government alone could not manage to develop football.

He said government needed the help of the private sector to transform football, stressing the importance of ploughing back into communities in the form of corporate social investment.

Letshwiti celebrated the fact that the Mares had qualified for the African Women’s Cup of Nations (AWCON) tournament, which will be held in July.

He said the qualification for the tournament was a historic achievement. 

He, however, said they needed over P7 million to compete with the best at African Women Cup of Nations, expressing a wish that the business community could play a part in this form of women empowerment. ends