Infantino’s FIFA fate must go to an election, says Africa football chief

Africa football confederation chief Patrice Motsepe says Gianni Infantino’s future should only be decided by elections, after Ireland became the latest federation to withdraw its support for the embattled FIFA president.

Infantino is fighting to save his job after a barrage of criticism for 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) stepped up the pressure on Infantino in a joint letter this week, declaring “trust is broken through deception, when an individual places himself above the collective that entrusted him with authority.”

It is believed they want Infantino to resign before he has the chance to seek re-election in March next year.

But Motsepe, a FIFA vice president and Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) president, is adamant that Infantino’s fate should be decided through the ballot box.

“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.

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