Cape Town - Patrice Motsepe has done a marvellous job to repair the tarnished image of African football which has made significant strides since he was elected president of Caf, just over a year ago.
In South Africa, football fans were able to watch live broadcasts of matches in various Caf competitions, both for men and women. This was a far cry from the days when Caf matches were not shown on local television.
Earlier this year, Caf, launched the Pan African Inter-Schools Football Association. The aim was to promote school football as a driving force to change on the continent and a means to prepare the future leaders of football.
Sponsorships and prize money have increased, and tournaments have been well-run except for unforeseen circumstances which posed huge challenges for the Caf leadership. The stadium disaster in Cameroon earlier this year springs to mind.
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The deadly crush outside an entry gate at the Paul Biya Stadium in the capital Yaounde left eight people dead and 38 injured. Motsepe, a seasoned businessperson, moved swiftly to declare that stadium off-limits for the rest of the Africa Cup on Nations.
One debacle that Motsepe was not prepared for was the choice of stadium for the Champions League final.
It was only after a hullabaloo raged on social media that Motsepe was alerted that the final would be played in the country which had a team in the semi-final round.
It immediately raised a stink about likely home-ground advantage for one team.
Motsepe was despondent when he realised that Caf's organising committee had things done by the book.
The process of deciding on the venue for the final was the work of the previous leadership, but it was still binding.
Under the previous leadership, Morocco had been handed host status for a few flagship events in recent years.
This drew stinging criticism from various quarters who said Caf were pandering to the strong Moroccan influence on the organisation.
Motsepe was blindsided by this outdated process, and he quickly issued a statement explaining what had happened.
Eventual finalists Al Ahly understandably were outraged and approached the world's highest sports court, the Court of Arbitration for Sport for relief but to no avail.
It left a sour taste in the mouths of the Egyptians who were further let down when they did not receive the promised 50% of the tickets for Al Ahly supporters.
Wydad Casablanca, the eventual 2-0 winners, enjoyed a massive home-ground advantage and were able to draw on the support of their “12th man”.
Strangely, the match statistics show that Al Ahly enjoyed 66% possession, but were unable to exploit this good fortune.
While Motsepe heads up Caf, it was heartening to see other South Africans also play a part in last week's final in Casablanca.
SA referee Victor Gomes was given pride of place and handled the match with aplomb. His star continues to rise and soon he'll be off to World Cup in Qatar.
Another South African Zakhele Siwela, also Qatar-bound, was Gomes' first assistant and he too acquitted himself well.
Safa president who serves on various Caf committees also played his part in Casablanca last week.
There was a further SA presence on the field with Pitso Mosimane and Percy Tau an integral part of the Al Ahly contingent.
In the media centre, South African Luxolo September, Caf's Head of Operations and Media Relations ran the show. Finally, one of the TV commentary booths was manned by seasoned SA commentator Mark Gleeson.
@Herman_Gibbs