Confederation of African Football (CAF) president Patrice Motsepe has stated that the future of FIFA president Gianni Infantino should only be decided through elections. This comes as Ireland became the latest federation to withdraw its support for the embattled FIFA president.

Infantino is fighting to save his job after a barrage of criticism over his aborted plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors. The governing bodies of European (UEFA), North and Central American (CONCACAF), and Asian (AFC) football escalated pressure on Infantino in a joint letter this week, declaring "trust is broken through deception, when an individual places himself above the collective that entrusted him with authority."

Motsepe, who is also a FIFA vice president, insisted that Infantino's fate should be decided through the ballot box. "If anybody has got any problem against anybody, whether it's Gianni, whether it is anybody else, follow the process, follow the FIFA process, simple as that," he told Sky News. "If you want to take him out, go for elections; let the 211 member associations decide."

Motsepe was in Salzburg for the UEFA Super Cup on Wednesday to hold talks with UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin, whose organization is threatening to boycott the World Cup and Club World Cup in protest at Infantino's scheme. Motsepe claimed there was no breach of rules over the World Cup sell-off talks because the proposals would be submitted to FIFA members for final approval.

However, the tidal wave of criticism engulfing Infantino shows no signs of abating. On Thursday, the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) became the latest FIFA member to withdraw its support for Infantino. In a statement, the FAI said: "Recent events have raised significant concerns regarding governance, transparency and the lack of meaningful consultation." The English FA and Welsh FA had already withdrawn their backing.

Six Arab federations, including Qatar, Morocco, and Egypt, offered their backing to Infantino on Thursday morning. This situation highlights the deep divisions within FIFA and the intense battle ahead of the elections.

Source: www.aljazeera.com