Mousaibi: Infantino's future must be decided through elections

London, AFP – Confederation of African Football (CAF) president Patrice Motsepe said that the future of Gianni Infantino must be decided solely through elections, after the Football Association of Ireland became the latest national federation to withdraw its support for the FIFA president, who is facing mounting pressure.

The FIFA president is struggling to retain his position following a wave of criticism over his canceled plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors.

Continental confederations in Europe (UEFA), North, Central America and the Caribbean (CONCACAF), and Asia have escalated pressure on Infantino in a joint message this week, affirming that “trust is destroyed by deception when an individual places himself above the group that granted him authority.”

These confederations are believed to want Infantino to resign before he has the opportunity to run for a new term in the elections scheduled for March next year.

The South African told Sky News on Thursday, “If any party has a problem with any other party, whether it is Gianni or someone else, they must follow the procedures and adhere to FIFA’s procedures. It is that simple.”

He added, “If you want to remove him, go to the elections; let the 211 member associations decide. Do that, and the voting results will show whether the associations still trust him or not.”

Motsepe was in Salzburg on Wednesday during the European Super Cup match to hold talks with Slovenian UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin, as the European Union threatens to boycott the World Cup and the Club World Cup in protest against Infantino’s project.

Motsepe said, “I have heard many accounts regarding various issues, and I am cautious about passing judgment on any of them.”

CAF has already announced its support for Infantino, and Motsepe affirmed that there was no breach of rules in discussions regarding the sale of World Cup rights or stakes, as the proposals would have been submitted to FIFA members for final approval.

He said, “There are many problematic and negative issues that need to be addressed. He apologized and said that perhaps these matters should have been handled differently, but we also take the advice.”

The Football Association of Ireland stated in a press release, “Following a meeting of its board of directors, it was decided to withdraw the letter of support that the association had issued earlier this year.”