FIFA election should decide embattled Infantino’s future, Patrice Motsepe says

Gianni Infantino’s future as FIFA president should be decided through an election rather than calls for his resignation, African football chief Patrice Motsepe has said.

Infantino is facing mounting pressure over an abandoned proposal to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors. UEFA, CONCACAF and the AFC criticised his handling of the plan in a joint letter this week.

Motsepe, FIFA vice-president and Confederation of African Football president, told Sky News that FIFA’s 211 member associations should decide Infantino’s future.

“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,” Motsepe said.

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

The comments came as the Football Association of Ireland withdrew its support for Infantino, citing concerns over “governance, transparency and the lack of meaningful consultation.”

The English and Welsh football associations have also withdrawn their backing.

However, Infantino retains support from CAF and six Arab football federations, including Qatar, Morocco and Egypt.

Motsepe acknowledged problems at FIFA but noted Infantino had apologised, saying: “There’s a lot that’s problematic and negative that they have to fix.”