Motsepe announces Caf profit, R1.7m payment to clubs in Champs League and Confed

Confederation of African Football (Caf) president Patrice Motsepe hailed the “consistent improvement and growth” of African football in the “past four, five years” on Monday as he announced a $9.48m (R163m) profit for the 2023-24 financial year.

Addressing Caf’s 47th Ordinary General Assembly in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Motsepe also announced a new $100,000 (R1.7m) payment to all teams that qualify for the Caf Champions League and Confederation Cup.

A Caf statement read: “Four years ago, when Caf was facing a significant financial deficit and multiple challenges including several legal disputes, president Motsepe initiated a strategic turnaround plan aimed at making Caf and African football globally competitive and financially self-sustaining.

“Over and above declaring a profit for the first time in several years, Caf has significantly increased the investment in competitions, prize money, financial support for zonal unions and member associations and spending in development programmes.”

Caf vice-president and finance committee chair Faouzi Lekjaa said revenues increased by “53% from $109m [R1.88bn] to $166m [R2.86bn]”.

This came “mostly from [senior and junior] Afcon [Africa Cup of Nations] competitions”, which doubled from $75m to $148m”.

Motsepe announced Caf had allocated $13m (R223m) for a payment of $100,000, for the first time, to the 120 clubs that take part in the Champions League and Confed Cup.

“We have to invest in African club football. And the $100,000 is not enough but it helps for transport and other issues,” he said. “That’s partly why we increased the prize money. Those who progress will make much more.”

Among increases in prize money, Caf announced that:

• the 2025-26 Champions League winners’ purse increased by 60% to $4m (R68.8m); and
• overall prize money increased 41% to $17.6m (R303m).
• the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) winners, Nigeria, earned $1m (R17.2m), double that of the previous edition;
• the overall pool rose 45% to $3.475m (R60m); while
• in the men’s Afcon, last year winners, Ivory Coast, received $7m (R120.5m), a 40% increase.

Motsepe said Caf had invested “$45m [R774m] in football development in the past year” and made “huge investments” in training match officials.

Caf is working on a $1bn (R17.2bn) broadcast deal over eight years, he said, adding that “two-million boys and girls participated in the African Schools Football Championship from about 85,000 schools”. The championship was launched in 2022.

He also announced a conference in Morocco on December 20, a day before the senior Afcon kickoff on December 21, inviting “some of the biggest investors and partners in building stadiums and football infrastructure, but also partners in sponsorship to encourage them with national teams and football in our 54 African nations”.