The president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Patrice Motsepe, has said the FIFA presidential election is the proper way to challenge Gianni Infantino’s leadership.
Motsepe, who is also a FIFA vice president, said anyone who wants Infantino removed should allow the FIFA election process to take place and let the 211 member associations decide.
“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 said in an interview with Sky News.
He added that those seeking Infantino’s removal should contest the election and allow the vote to show whether FIFA members still have confidence in him.
Motsepe made the comments after travelling to Salzburg for talks with UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin, who has been calling for Infantino to step down following controversy over plans to sell World Cup-related shares to private investors.
UEFA recently joined the Asian and North American football confederations in criticising Infantino over the issue, describing the situation as a breach of trust.
Motsepe cautioned against attempts to remove Infantino before the FIFA presidential election scheduled for March.
“You’ve got to be very careful. There are elections taking place next year,” he said.
The CAF president did not directly criticise Infantino or openly support him. He said he had heard different accounts about the issues and was careful not to make a judgement without a proper process.
Motsepe said everyone involved should be given the opportunity to be heard and treated fairly.
He also said CAF had sought legal advice and believed there had been no breach of FIFA rules over the discussions concerning the proposed World Cup investment because the proposals would eventually be presented to members for approval.
Motsepe acknowledged that there were issues that needed to be addressed but noted that Infantino had apologised and accepted that some things could have been handled differently.
FIFA operates a one-member, one-vote system in its presidential election.
UEFA has 55 votes, while the CONCACAF region has 34. Africa has 54 member associations, meaning the continent could play an important role in determining the outcome of the election.
Motsepe said his focus was on maintaining unity and developing football despite the challenges facing the sport.
He added that whoever wins the FIFA election would have his support and that football leaders should work together to resolve their differences.
