Confederation of African Football (CAF) President Dr. Patrice Motsepe jetted into Uganda on Thursday evening ahead of a two-day visit.
Dr. Motsepe was officially welcomed at Entebbe International Airport by FUFA President, Hon. Magogo Moses Hassim in the company of CECAFA President, Wallace Karia.
FUFA 1st Vice President, Justus Mugisha and FUFA 2nd Vice President, Darius Mugoye were also part of the delegation that welcomed the CAF President.
He made a visit to FUFA Complex in Mengo where he held a meeting with the Federation Executive Committee.
“I take the pleasure to welcome you to FUFA and Uganda Mr. President, we are honoured to have you here and hopeful that your visit will bear fruits both in the short and long term,” said the FUFA President in his opening remarks.
“Our vision as FUFA is to become the number one footballing nation in Africa on and off the pitch. And to achieve that, we have set ourselves targets. The key targets include; creating a professional industry, taking football to every homestead, and attaining excellence at the highest level.” He added.
CECAFA President, Karia who also attended the meeting lauded FUFA for taking the lead in the region, indicating many Federations are using FUFA as a good example.
“It is my pleasure to be here today as CAF President visits Uganda and CECAFA region. FUFA has been exemplary in some many areas and we are proud of its leadership. There is a well-designed structure on where the Federation wants to go and we hope that is achieved,” he said.
CAF President Motspee in his opening remarks appreciated the cordial relationship between Uganda and South Africa.
“I am happy to be in Uganda. Where I come from (South Africa) we have always known Uganda as a good place. We know about Makerere University and the close relationship between Uganda and South Africa in the fight against apartheid.”
Dr. Motsepe lauded FUFA for the efforts made towards development of football. He also stressed that CAF has plans of extending more support to Member Associations.
“When I meet President Museveni tomorrow, I will talk about the importance of football, sports in general and how this sector can help transform society. We are looking at empowering every Member Association through different aspects such as capacity building and funding. CAF is looking at giving every MA at least 1M USD to help in developing and promoting the game,” he stated.
CAF President later had an interaction with the media at Kampala Serena Hotel.
On Friday, he will meet the President of the Republic of Uganda, H.E Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and the Private Sector before departing for Seychelles.
Credit: FUFA Website