‘Forward thinking’ UCT, CAF executive programme takes flight

The University of Cape Town (UCT) has joined the Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF) in its latest bid to strengthen their measured improvement of African football. The two organisations launched the CAF Football Management Executive Programme on 2 September at UCT’s Graduate School of Business (UCT GSB), four months after signing a Memorandum of Understanding in Cairo, Egypt.

The endeavour is a management programme initiated by the CAF leadership and UCT’s International Office for member associations’ administrative staff and officials to enhance their skills, build capacity and drive efficiency to ensure African football administration and competitions are world class.

This year’s edition of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) was hailed as a huge success from various sectors as CAF put on a show for the ages, attracting over 1.4 billion cumulative TV viewers, including 10.3 million during the semi-final between Nigeria and South Africa on SuperSport and SABC platforms.

The CAF Football Management Executive Programme seeks to build on this momentum. In attendance at the launch were UCT’s chancellor, Dr Precious Moloi-Motsepe; vice-chancellor, Professor Mosa Moshabela; Chair of Council Norman Arendse SC; CAF president, Dr Patrice Motsepe; International Office director, Quinton Johnson; staff from UCT and CAF and a host of delegates who will be participating in a week of onsite learning with lectures being led by, among others, former Arsenal chairperson David Dein and former Multichoice chairperson Imtiaz Patel.

“Football is a cultural cornerstone and a source of pride and a powerful force of unity in Africa. The launch of this management programme means we are investing in the future of African football and ensuring it is governed with excellence, professionalism and integrity that it deserves,” said Dr Moloi-Motsepe during her opening remarks.

“To harness the full potential of sport, we must ensure it is supported by robust and effective leadership. Through this programme, we aim to equip Africa’s football administrators with knowledge, skills and tools that they need to elevate the game to new heights and to ensure that African football is respected and admired worldwide.”

Key objectives

The key objectives of the programme will include the following, among others:

• enhancing the skills and expertise of African football stakeholders
• building the capacity of role-players within CAF’s 54 member associations
• driving innovation and encouraging football executives to expand their strategic acumen and strengthen their leadership capabilities
• contributing to the advancement and sustainability of African football.

“We’re not just training administrators, we are shaping the future of African football for its youth, both girls and boys. We want to ensure it is managed with passion, wisdom and vision. Gender diversity in sports leadership can address imbalances on the field, ensuring action towards building sponsorships, viewership, investment and support structures for women and girls. I believe this partnership is forward thinking,” added Moloi-Motsepe.

‘Exciting proposition’

Professor Moshabela said this is an opportunity UCT stakeholders won’t take lightly. “One doesn’t partner with UCT on a programme like this if you are not looking for excellence, if you are not looking for the best, if you are not looking for impact. It means something is happening. It means CAF is reaching a certain level of professionalisation that they are very serious about.

“We don’t have the luxury of stepping a foot wrong. We must get things right the first time and this is the value system I would like to share with you: as we enter this partnership, there is no room for failure.”

Dr Motsepe, who energetically greeted some of the delegates in their home languages, said “UCT made an exciting proposition.” He further stated, “We want our 54 member organisations to be run in a way that is efficient, but also to learn basic things like financial management and compliance with accounting and auditing practices as well as governance, ethics and how to manage the limited resources [they have].”

He said it was important that the work the programme does also look at how footballers are paid because they have short careers and thus need to maximise their playing time with good compensation because “ethics and resources work hand in hand”.

“The legacy of the programme should be that it’s for the 54 countries on the continent and that stakeholders should always have confidence in the day-to-day running of football affairs,” he concluded.”