Confederation of African Football (CAF) president Patrice Motsepe insists Gianni Infantino’s future must be decided by an election, even as Ireland became the latest federation to withdraw support for the embattled FIFA president.
Infantino is currently fighting to retain his position following intense backlash over his aborted plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors.
The governing bodies of European football (UEFA), North and Central America (CONCACAF) and Asia (AFC) increased pressure this week in a joint letter, declaring: “trust is broken through deception, when an individual places himself above the collective that entrusted him with authority.”
It is understood these organizations want Infantino to resign before the scheduled re-election in March. However, Motsepe, who serves as a FIFA vice president, maintains that the ballot box is the only appropriate venue for such a decision.
“If anybody has got any problem against anybody, whether it’s Gianni, whether it is anybody else, follow the process, follow the FIFA process, simple as that,” Motsepe told Sky News on Thursday. “If you want to take him out, go for elections; let the 211 member associations decide. Do that and the vote will express whether they’ve got confidence in him or not.”
Motsepe, who met with UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin at the UEFA Super Cup in Salzburg, added: “You’ve got to be very careful. There are elections taking place next year. Shouldn’t we allow that process to continue?”
Regarding the controversy, Motsepe stated: “I’ve heard so many stories about various issues and am careful to pass judgement on anything. Everybody has a right to be heard. Let’s have a hearing, and a proper forum.”
CAF continues to back Infantino, with Motsepe arguing no rules were breached during the World Cup sell-off talks because proposals required final approval from FIFA members. “There’s a lot that’s problematic and negative that they have to fix,” he noted. “But he has apologised and said maybe there’s a different way these things should have been done, but we also take advice.”
Despite this support, criticism continues to mount. On Thursday, the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) confirmed it had rescinded its previous letter of support for the 56-year-old Swiss leader.
“Following an FAI Board Meeting, the decision was taken to rescind the letter of support that the Association supplied earlier this year,” the FAI stated, citing concerns over governance, transparency, and a lack of consultation. The English and Welsh FAs had previously withdrawn their backing.
Conversely, six Arab federations, including Qatar, Morocco, and Egypt, reaffirmed their support for Infantino on Thursday morning.
