Motsepe backed to succeed Fifa
African football chief Patrice Motsepe has been backed to succeed Gianni Infantino as president of Fifa when the Swiss moves on from an anticipated third term in 2031.
The South African minister for sport, Gayton McKenzie, said “I don’t know if there’s anybody that will disagree with his name” being in the hat to succeed Infantino, who is expected to be re-elected unopposed next year for a third term at the helm of one of the world’s most influential sporting organisations.
“Let Infantino serve this term,” McKenzie told City PM. “He’s going to serve another term. We’ll make sure that is [the case] in Africa.
“As soon as [the] term is finished, we will all root for Patrice Motsepe to take over Fifa. He is well regarded, he is a man that gives back to football, he has changed the face of African football. Teams playing under CAF [Confederation of African Football] have the highest qualification rate for the second round of the World Cup.”
The expanded World Cup, which concludes on Sunday, featured 10 teams from Africa. Nine reached the last 32, with Egypt making the final 16 and Morocco the quarter-finals.
It is thought that Infantino has enough votes from South America, Africa and Asia to win a third term, which would take his tenure to 15 years – three years beyond the 12-year limit but sanctioned due to events relating to predecessor Sepp Blatter’s tenure.
But Infantino has come under fire for his approach at this World Cup, with campaigners lodging complaints with the International Olympic Committee over his alleged lack of political neutrality.
Motsepe, 64, is a minerals billionaire and was last month named in City PM’s Football Power List, a ranking of the 25 most influential people in the game. He would be the first African to lead Fifa if elected but is also said to have one eye on the South African presidency. The next elections are due in 2029, two years before a potential Fifa promotion.
“Patrice Motsepe, what he has done to African soccer, the Confederation of African Football, has never been done: he has brought professionalism, big money to the table, and he rooted out corruption,” concluded McKenzie, who is in London this weekend for an event in Trafalgar Square marking Nelson Mandela Day.
South African music artists will lead the celebrations in central London, which also marks 30 years of the country’s constitution.
“The event will be a visual celebration of one of the world’s most recognisable figures,” an event statement read, “bringing music, community and culture to central London while showcasing the incredible evolution of South African music on an international stage.”