Moroccan Fouzi Lekjaa has been elected first vice-president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) at an executive committee meeting held in Accra on Saturday.
His appointment has been warmly received across the continent, with the 54-year-old having built a strong reputation in Morocco, particularly for developing football infrastructure.
Born in the eastern city of Berkane, near the Algerian border, Lekjaa also serves as a member of the FIFA Council, the highest decision-making body of the global football authority.
He previously held the role of CAF vice-president from 2017 but was not re-elected four years later. Alongside his football responsibilities, he holds a senior post within the Moroccan civil service.
Many African football officials believe that the president of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation could one day succeed current CAF president Patrice Motsepe of South Africa.
The 63-year-old billionaire was re-elected unopposed last month for a second four-year term as president of CAF, having also been elected by acclamation in 2021.
CAF presidents are restricted to three terms, a measure introduced after Cameroonian Issa Hayatou’s 29-year leadership ended in 2017.
In addition to Lekjaa’s election, four other vice-presidents were appointed: Ghana’s Kurt Okraku, Gabon’s Pierre-Alain Mounguengui, Congo’s Bestine Ditabala and Mozambique’s Feizal Sidat.
Among those who failed to secure a vice-presidency was former Cameroon striker Samuel Eto’o, who was elected to the CAF executive committee last month.
The 44-year-old, who scored a record 18 goals at Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, enjoyed a distinguished club career with Barcelona, Inter Milan, and Chelsea.
Eto’o, a four-time African Footballer of the Year, has been serving as president of the Cameroon Football Federation for the past four years.
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