When Confederation of African Football (CAF) president Patrice Motsepe spoke at the Palais des Congres in Marrakech before the organisation’s annual awards just over a year ago, he clenched his fist, as he tends to do when he wishes to reinforce a message, and outlined two ambitions for the continent he represents.

The first was his dream of an African country winning the World Cup for the first time, a moment that is “not far away”, according to the mining billionaire.

The second relates to reversing a flow of talent which means that, whenever an African footballer shows potential, he tends to end up in Europe pretty quickly. “I want them to stay here and, for that to happen, they need to be paid accordingly,” the 63-year-old insisted.

To some extent, Motsepe has already proven what can be done with money because in South Africa, where his wealth has helped Mamelodi Sundowns become the dominant force, the pay is competitive enough for players to stick around. That is also partly because of unfavourable tax systems for higher earners in other parts of the world.

When South Africa finished third in the last edition of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), just three of their 26 players were contracted to clubs abroad and 10 of the squad were from Sundowns, with the bulk of them in the starting XI. A lack of exposure on the international stage also contributed towards the domestic identity of the team — South Africa did not qualify for four of seven AFCONs between 2010 and 2021.

Nobody thought much of the national team. They were not very good and, consequently, invisible. Yet the country’s success in Ivory Coast two years ago was followed with a successful Under-20s AFCON in Egypt this year, where South Africa emerged as champions for the first time.

South Africa lift the Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations this year (Ahmed Gomaa/Xinhua via Getty Images)

These achievements have inspired interest from beyond South Africa’s borders.

In Morocco this year, eight of the country’s 25-man squad play abroad. Sundowns’ influence has retreated — just five of their players were called up, compared to nine from South African rivals Orlando Pirates. The reality is, Sundowns cannot enlist every player in the South African squad, though they are sometimes accused of trying.

Meanwhile, some of their domestic rivals might be reasonably well financed, but they are unable to resist when serious offers come their way. That explains why, after this tournament, the impressive 20-year-old centre-back Mbekezeli Mbokazi will leave Pirates for Major League Soccer’s Chicago Fire in a deal worth $3million (£2m).

The timing of the agreement was curious given Mbokazi had established himself in Hugo Broos’ team and AFCON was an opportunity to prove himself at a higher level, in front of more observers. Broos has had a lot to say about the way the transfer was handled by the player’s agent, Basia Michaels.