November 20 – Patrice Motsepe (pictured) the only English mother tongue candidate for the most powerful position in African football, is reportedly being backed by Gianni Infantino in what would be a major coup for the South African billionaire businessman.
Motsepe is one of five contenders for the presidency of the Confederation of African Football but is the only one who has no affiliation with a national federation.
Unconfirmed local reports say the FIFA president set up a secret meeting of East African countries in Nairobi last week to push Motsepe’s candidacy.
Africa is the biggest of FIFA’s six confederations and pivotal to Infantino’s support base.
Last week Musa Bility, the banned former CAF executive committee member and ex-president of the Liberian FA, wrote an open letter to Motsepe warning him “to be wary” of Infantino’s influence in the election process.
Bility, who is currently serving a 10-year ban after he was found guilty of misappropriating FIFA funds, offering and accepting gifts and other benefits and conflicts of interest, has consistently questioned the integrity of Infantino’s political motivation.
But if the latest reports are correct, it would appear Infantino is supporting Bility’s man which would be something of an irony giving the current state of African football’s geo-politics.
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