Patrice Motsepe has been confirmed as the new Confederation of African Football president during the organization’s 43rd Ordinary General Assembly in Rabat, Morocco on Friday.

The path for Motsepe to become the first South African to run Africa’s football body received a major boost after three of his rivals – Jacques Anouma, Augustin Senghor and Ahmed Yahya – withdrew over the weekend.

With support from FIFA chief Gianni Infantino, the Mamelodi Sundowns owner was named as the replacement for outgoing Ahmad Ahmad, banned by FIFA, with a five-year suspension for “governance issues” cut to two after appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The South African pleaded for unity as he seeks to fix the troubled organization.

“Africa needs collective wisdom, but also the exceptional talent and wisdom of every (national football association) president and every member nation,” he said.

“When we all work together, football in Africa will experience success and growth that it has not enjoyed in the past.”

Patrice Motsepe is the ninth-richest person in Africa, according to Forbes magazine, and one of the country’s first black billionaires.