New COSAFA president Chiyangwa eyeing CAF post

Monday Dec 19, 2016. 11:00

Just after being elected as the new COSAFA president, Philip Chiyangwa has set his sights on a top CAF position.

News Day website in Zimbabwe reports that the new Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (Cosafa) president wants to join the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

The information comes after the ZIFA boss was elected unopposed for the post at the regional elective congress on Saturday in South Africa.

His selection also comes after South African Football Association president Danny Jordan pulled out of the race whilst long-serving president Suketu Partel of Seychelles decided against re-election.

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Chiyangwa flew back into the country on Sunday and celebrated with his supporters at Harare International Airport, where he declared his ambitions to seize control of African football and ultimately the world game.

Meanwhile, it is mentioned that for him to have a shot at incumbent CAF president, Issa Hayatou, Chiyangwa will have to be elected first into the CAF’s executive committee, whose elections are in 2019.

Zambia’s Kalusha Bwalya is the current member of the executive committee representing the Southern zone, together with Molefi Oliphant of South Africa, who is also part of the 15-member committee.

Although it is indicated that CAF restricts potential candidates for the presidency only to members of the executive committee, Chiyangwa remains ambitious.

“I spent just one year at ZIFA and already I have acquired the regional autonomy and power, I’m now the boss of the region,” Chiyangwa said.

“Very soon I will be the boss of the continent, that is in the sight. Don’t be surprised when that happens.

"Most of you didn’t know that I was working on taking over COSAFA, and now I’m working on CAF and it’s coming soon.

“We want to control continental football; just like our President Robert Mugabe controlled Africa as the African Union chairperson.”