The President of the African Confederation defends Infantino after “Red Balogun” and “stopping drinking water”

The President of the Confederation of African Football, South African Patrice Motsepe, on Wednesday strongly defended FIFA President Gianni Infantino, describing him as a loyal servant of the game and a friend of the African continent.
Italian-Swiss Infantino found himself vulnerable to criticism as a result of FIFA’s decision to suspend the suspension of US national team striker Folarin Balogun during the World Cup, which concluded on Sunday, in addition to adopting pauses for drinking water, and proposing the idea of ​​expanding the world finals to 64 teams after the 2026 edition was held with the participation of 48 for the first time.
“I admire his deep love for football, his great commitment to developing the game in the world, and his support for Africa,” Motsepe told reporters in Johannesburg, adding that Infantino “remained loyal” to Africa and played an important role in developing football on the continent.
He added, “Gani played a pivotal role in expanding the opportunities of African teams on the global stage,” referring to the increase of Africa’s share in the World Cup by four additional direct seats, in addition to a seat through the global playoff.
The continent was represented in the 2026 edition, which concluded on Sunday with Spain defeating Argentina in the final 1-0 after extra time, with a record number of 10 teams.
Infantino, who took over the presidency of FIFA from Swiss Sepp Blatter in 2016, is scheduled to run for re-election in 2027 in an effort to win a fourth term at the head of world football’s governing body.
Africa has great influence within FIFA, as it includes 54 national federations, making it the largest unified voting bloc among the six continental federations under the banner of the International Federation.
Last April, the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) became the first continental federation to announce its public support for Infantino’s re-election, before his African counterpart quickly joined his list of supporters as well.
But a state of dissatisfaction is rising among some European federations and their allied parties, amid reports that a European-backed candidate may emerge to compete with Infantino.
Spanish League President Javier Tebas said this week that Infantino’s time “is over,” adding in statements to the Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport that there is a “system that is fundamentally flawed” that allowed him to lead the world football body for an entire decade.
“They are destroying the football industry, which provides tens of thousands of jobs, for the sake of an event that lasts only 40 days and includes a minority of players,” Tebas added, referring to the World Cup.