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Infantino's FIFA Future Must Be Decided by Election, Says African Football Chief

From Al Jazeera · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • African football confederation chief Patrice Motsepe stated that FIFA President Gianni Infantino's future should be decided by an election.
  • Motsepe, also a FIFA vice president, believes member associations should vote on Infantino's leadership in the upcoming March elections.
  • This comes as several continental federations, including UEFA, CONCACAF, and AFC, have expressed a loss of trust in Infantino over his controversial plan to sell stakes in the World Cup.

The future of FIFA President Gianni Infantino should be determined through the ballot box, according to Patrice Motsepe, president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and a FIFA vice president. Motsepe emphasized that if any member has issues with Infantino or any other leader, they should follow FIFA's established processes.

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.

— Patrice MotsepeCAF president and FIFA vice president Patrice Motsepe stated that disputes should be resolved through FIFA's established procedures.

"If you want to take him out, go for elections; let the 211 member associations decide," Motsepe told Sky News. He stressed the importance of allowing the upcoming March elections to proceed, suggesting that the vote will reflect the confidence member associations have in Infantino's leadership.

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.

— Patrice MotsepeMotsepe argued that Gianni Infantino's leadership should be decided by a vote of FIFA's member associations in the upcoming elections.

Motsepe's comments come amid significant pressure on Infantino from several continental football governing bodies. UEFA, CONCACAF, and AFC recently issued a joint letter stating that "trust is broken through deception" and that Infantino has placed himself above those who entrusted him with authority. These federations are reportedly seeking Infantino's resignation before the March elections.

You’ve got to be very careful. There are elections taking place next year. Shouldn’t we allow that process to continue?

— Patrice MotsepeMotsepe urged caution and suggested allowing the planned elections to proceed.

CAF has previously backed Infantino, and Motsepe defended the FIFA president regarding his controversial plan to sell stakes in the World Cup. Motsepe claimed there was no breach of rules, as any proposals would have been submitted to FIFA members for final approval. He acknowledged that Infantino has apologized and admitted that certain aspects of the process could have been handled differently, but maintained that Infantino's fate should be decided by the member associations.

There’s a lot that’s problematic and negative that they have to fix. But he has apologised and said maybe there’s a different way these things should have been done, but we also take advice.

— Patrice MotsepeMotsepe acknowledged issues but noted Infantino's apology and willingness to learn from advice.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Al Jazeera in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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