UPDATED: Ivorian Jacques Anouma throws in the towel, backs Motsepe for CAF President

Jacques Anouma has thrown in the CAF Presidency towelFormer Ivory Coast FA boss Jacques Anouma has finally withdrawn from next week’s CAF Presidential election to throw his weight behind South African businessman Patrice Motsepe.The former FIFA Council member pulled out of the race to become the next president of Africa’s football governing body late on Friday night, claiming he wants to help unite the football family in the wake of recent sharp divisions.Anouma, the former economic advisor to the Ivorian government, threw in the towel late on Friday night, despite threatening early this week to continue with his campaign.The decision takes the South African billionaire closer to the throne as the President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF).The former Ivory Coast FA chief took the decision after meeting the Ivorian head of state Alassane Ouattara on Friday to discuss developments in the campaign with just one week left to the election.This came just hours after Senegal FA boss Ausgustin Senghor withdrew from the contest scheduled for the Moroccan capital of Rabat on 12 March.Anouma implicitly rallied to the candidacy of the owner of South African side Mamelodi Sundowns CAF on Friday night to back the billionaire in a bid to foster unity among Africa top football officials.”After several reflections, consultations and consultations, I decided to give up my candidacy for the election to the presidency of CAF,” Anouma told RTI on Friday night.”I will put all my experience at the service of the necessary reconstruction of the African football because I believe in a united football Africa.”At this crucial moment in the history of CAF, our football cannot offer to the world a face of division.”I am convinced that today it is preferable to create the conditions for a gathering of the best brains in order to achieve success in the collective interest of African football so I decided to give up my candidacy.Ahmed Yahya, the other candidate in the race has not yet communicated his position but there is no doubt that he will also withdraw to back Motsepe.Barring a huge thunderclap, Motsepe will be elected president of the African Football Confederation (CAF) at the elective general assembly of the body to be held next Friday in Rabat.This was after all the four candidates agreed on Sunday to support Motsepe following a meeting mooted by Morocco FA President Fouazi Lekjaa, Egyptian Hany Abou Rida and FIFA in a bid to bring unity among the African football family.Sharp divisions have emerged among leaders of African football over the past two years and it was threatening to be wider after the polls with various factions still existing.But the initiative mooted by Lekjaa, one of the powerful voices in African football, reached an agreement with all the four candidates with further meetings scheduled for Saturday on the sidelines of the U20 AFCON final in Nouachott.In accordance with the agreement in the Moroccan capital last weekend, Anouma, the Senegalese Senghor and the Mauritanian Ahmed Yahya will withdraw to leave Motsepe as the sole candidate.The Rabat Accord reached a decision to make Senghor the first vice presdent of CAF, Yahya agreed to be co-opted to becomes the second Vice President while Anouma agreed to the post of an advisor to the CAF President.Despite the agreement in Rabat, Anouma went rogue and judged the consensus as ‘not too democratic’, leaving the possibility of maintaining his candidacy for the election on 12 March in Moroccan capital.But Anouma fell on his sword on Friday night and declared his support for a unity candidate to help heal the divisions that has afflicted the game on the continent.