Meet Fouzi Lekjaa, 54 year old elected CAF’s first Vice President 

Fouzi Lekjaa, a prominent figure in African and international football administration, has been elected First Vice President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), following an executive committee meeting held in Accra on Saturday.

The 54-year-old Moroccan official’s elevation is expected to be widely welcomed across the continent, where his track record of strengthening football infrastructure has earned broad respect.

His growing influence has led some African football insiders to view him as a potential successor to current CAF President Patrice Motsepe of South Africa. Motsepe, 63, a billionaire businessman, was recently re-elected unopposed for a second four-year term.

Under CAF’s current statutes, a president may serve a maximum of three terms, a reform introduced after Issa Hayatou’s 29-year tenure ended in 2017.

Saturday’s elections also brought new faces to CAF’s vice-presidential ranks, with Ghana’s Kurt Okraku, Gabon’s Pierre-Alain Mounguengui, Congo’s Bestine Ditabala, and Mozambique’s Feizal Sidat securing appointments. Notably, Cameroon football legend Samuel Eto’o, recently elected to the CAF Executive Committee, failed in his bid for a vice-presidential post.

As African football looks toward hosting the 2030 FIFA World Cup, a project Lekjaa is deeply involved in through Morocco’s joint bid with Spain and Portugal, his ascent within CAF may signal a new era of strategic leadership from North Africa.

Fouzi Lekji’s early days 

Fouzi Lekjaa is a Moroccan sports executive and public official specializing in football administration. He graduated in agricultural engineering from the National School of Administration and began his professional career as a financial inspector.

In 2000, he was appointed head of the agricultural sector and compensation division at the Budget Department of the Ministry of Finance.

In the same year, Lekjaa became involved with RS Berkane, then an amateur club in Morocco’s third division, contributing to its infrastructure development and organizational reform.

In 2009, he was elected president of RS Berkane. Under his leadership, the club achieved financial stability, attracted new sponsors, and secured promotion to Morocco’s top-tier league, Botola Pro, after an absence of more than two decades.

On 13 April 2014, Lekjaa was elected president of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF), succeeding Ali Fassi Fihri. His tenure has focused on modernizing Moroccan football, developing the country’s league system, and investing heavily in youth programs.

One of the major projects under his leadership was the construction of the Mohammed VI Football Complex in Salé, a $65 million facility inaugurated in 2019 to support the development of young players.

Career 

In 2022, Lekjaa was reelected as FRMF president for a third term. During his leadership, Morocco successfully bid to host the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, which was officially announced by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in September 2023.

• Internationally, Lekjaa has held several roles, including serving as the second vice-president of CAF and chairman of its Finance Committee. He was elected to the FIFA Council in March 2021 and joined the Executive Council of the Union of Arab Football Associations in June 2021.
• Lekjaa was also involved in addressing issues related to ticket sales during the 2022 FIFA World Cup, overseeing an investigation that led to legal action against individuals suspected of fraud.
• In June 2023, King Mohammed VI appointed him president of Morocco’s Bid Committee for the 2030 FIFA World Cup.

In October 2023, the joint Morocco-Spain-Portugal bid was officially accepted by FIFA as a candidate to host the tournament. Subsequently, Lekjaa was named Chairman of the 2030 World Cup Committee by royal appointment.