Confederation of African Football (CAF) President Dr Patrice Motsepe has reaffirmed his support for FIFA President Gianni Infantino, insisting that allegations of governance breaches should be handled through the organisations Ethics Committee.Motsepe made the remarks during the CNN Global Perspectives Event in Doha, Qatar, hosted by Eleni Giokis, where he addressed questions surrounding governance, transparency and the leadership of world footballs governing body.The CAF president described Infantino as a close and loyal friend while stressing the importance of Europe to the global football landscape.We couldnt be in a better place in Qatar because Qatar hosted the World Cup in 2022. Enormously successful. We all need to work together. Gianni is a very good friend, a very loyal friend. Europe is very, very important. Europe has done a lot of good work, Motsepe said.He reiterated CAFs backing of Infantino ahead of the forthcoming FIFA presidential elections, expressing confidence that discussions among football stakeholders would help bring the parties together.With these interventions, I am confident that with the good will of all the participants, we will all come together and there will be elections taking place in a few weeks. We have said very clearly that we support Gianni, he added.Motsepe also pushed back against what he described as a misrepresentation of the governance debate, emphasising that democracy, transparency and ethical leadership remain essential to African footballs future.There has been a misrepresentation. Governance for us, transparency from an ethics perspective is critically important because we come from a history where there hasnt always been adherence for democracy or regular elections. Some of the leaders, there have been issues of corruption, he stated.The South African businessman argued that allegations of misconduct should be subjected to established disciplinary procedures rather than settled through public accusations.And thats why we will always have a future as a continent if there is democracy, governance, ethics, transparency and what is taking place in FIFA. There have been allegations of lack of governance.It is a very simple process. If anybody is accused of having either violated governance or behaved in a manner that is not in the rules and regulations, take him to the Ethics Committee. Let that process take place. And let the judgement be made whether there is a violation or not, Motsepe said.He concluded on an optimistic note, pointing to what he described as a positive atmosphere at the recent FIFA Council meeting and a shared commitment to advancing the global game.I am very confident. We had a very good meeting at the FIFA Council. There is a commitment across the board to work together for the benefit of football in the world and we will make it progress, he added.Motsepes comments underline CAFs stated position in support of Infantino while highlighting the importance of due process, accountability and institutional governance in addressing allegations within football administration.
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Patrice Motsepe reaffirms CAF support for Infantino, calls for FIFA ethics process
