CAF President Patrice Motsepe Says Gianni Infantino’s FIFA Future Must Be Decided by Election

Confederation of African Football (CAF) president Patrice Motsepe has insisted that Gianni Infantino’s future as FIFA president should be determined through an election, as pressure continues to mount on the Swiss football administrator.

Although Infantino’s proposal to seek private investment in commercial World Cup rights has been a controversial one, he is under increasing criticism. The plan has raised widespread alarm among several big football governing organisations, with some urging FIFA to be more transparent and consultative.

European football’s governing body UEFA, CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) have recently put their pressure on Infantino in a toughly worded joint letter. The organisations accused the FIFA leaders of compromising trust and believed the collective interests of the governing body have been put at risk.

Some federations believe Infantino needs to resign in order to challenge the next presidential election to be held next March. But Motsepe, who is a vice-president of FIFA, has denied reports of him seeking to skip the vote.

Speaking to Sky News, Motsepe said that FIFA’s 211 member associations should “make their own decision whether Infantino retains their confidence”.

“If anyone has any issue against anyone, whether it’s Gianni or anyone else, pursue the process, Motsepe said. If members wished to have Infantino removed, they should do so in a vote, he added.

Motsepe also encouraged the football authorities to allow the process to play out and not make hasty decisions. It is impossible to discuss any concerns about Infantino without following the proper procedure and the existing processes at FIFA,” he said.

The president of the CAF met with UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin in the Austrian city of Salzburg at the UEFA Super Cup, as the European organisation and Infantino continue to debate his leadership and the proposed investment pacts for the World Cup. UEFA reportedly has taken strong action over the plans, which could see the introduction of a boycott of major FIFA events.

Motsepe insisted that he wouldn’t be able to make a final call on the controversy until all parties were heard. The CAF chief says “All those involved should have the opportunity to present their case in an appropriate forum.

CAF has been previously supportive of Infantino. Motsepe also stood up for the rationale behind the World Cup commercial deals, saying there was no breach of the FIFA regulations as the final deal would have to be approved by the FIFA’s member associations.

But Infantino still has plenty of opposition. The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) joined other national federations in dropping its predecessor’s backing of the FIFA president.The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) is the latest national federation to come off the fence on the matter of supporting the former president of FIFA.

The FAI confirmed its board decision to withdraw its letter of support, which it had given in the beginning of the year. The Irish body informed FIFA of its decision, it said, adding it had always been grateful for FIFA’s help to Irish football.

But the FAI said it had raised concerns “concerning the governance, transparency and inadequate consultation in relation to recent developments.

Meanwhile, the success and future of Infantino’s leadership was already in doubt, as his backers in England and Wales had pulled their support.

The fight for Infantino’s fate looks set to be a major one given the anger brewing in more federations over FIFA’s strategy, and the upcoming presidential election next year. But Motsepe, who has consistently said that the final decision lies with FIFA’s member associations, through the ballot box, is adamant that the matter should not be placed in the hands of FIFA, but rather in those of the football family.