Patrice Motsepe on when he will exit CAF, FIFA president Gianni Infantino and the 2027 AFCON
Confederation of African Football (CAF) president Patrice Motsepe has offered his backing to FIFA president Gianni Infantino and said the latter would continue to receive his support as a “loyal friend of Africa”.
Infantino has come in for heavy criticism over various controversies at the recent World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada, with suggestions that his re-election as FIFA president in March next year may be under threat.
Most recently, LaLiga president Javier Tebas said Infantino should resign, accusing the governing body of “destroying the football industry” by expanding international competitions at the expense of domestic leagues and clubs.
CAF have already thrown their weight behind Infantino’s re-election, and Motsepe reiterated his support on Wednesday.
“I personally support Infantino,” Motsepe said. “He’s not just a good friend, he’s loyal to Africa. I come from a background where, when people have been loyal to you, you never stab them in the back.
“You need to have a president of FIFA who is as committed to African football development and growth as Gianni is. And then you need to work with other confederations as well for the success of football, because we need football to develop and grow on the African continent.
“With Gianni, what is more important is what we discuss in private. I always look at the heart of a person. We are all human. We all make mistakes. I think I make more mistakes than anybody else.
“But what I like is his deep love for football, his deep commitment to the game and his support for Africa.”
Meanwhile, mining billionaire Motsepe said he would not stand for re-election when his term as CAF president ends in 2029 and quashed talk that he might be looking to replace Infantino, saying he has no interest in joining FIFA.
“Nobody is going to persuade me to serve more than two terms at CAF. It’s not going to happen,”Motsepe said. “I was only supposed to serve one term, but some partners said, ‘If you leave, then the money we are paying CAF leaves with you’.”
Motsepe also predicted that the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, which will be co-hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, will be an “enormous success”, despite challenges in the preparations.
Motsepe did not specify the challenges, but the construction of stadiums in Kenya has caused concern over the past few years.
Government officials said in May that the new 60,000-seat Talanta Sports City stadium in Nairobi and renovations to the 48,000-capacity Moi International Sports Centre were on track.
“We have to have confidence in our people despite the challenges, and sometimes there will be failures, but we have to get up and go again,”Motsepe said.
“But the Cup of Nations in East Africa will be an enormous success. There are some challenges, but I’m proud of the work the heads of state of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda are doing,”Motsepe added.
The tournament will be held in 2027 and again in 2028, after which the continental championship will be staged every four years rather than biennially, as has been the case.
Motsepe said bids for the 2028, 2032 and 2036 editions of the Cup of Nations had opened and that “exciting bids” had been received, although he did not elaborate.
The 2027 finals will be played from June 19 to July 17. Qualifiers for the 24-team tournament begin in September and will be concluded by March.
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