Gianni Infantino can rub his hands. Barring a very unlikely turnaround, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) will never stand in its way. She will be docile to him. She will fall into her camp. The explanation is simple: the president of FIFA chose the future boss himself.
Less than a week before its elective general assembly, scheduled for March 12, CAF already knows its future president. Billionaire Patrice Motsepe (photo above, second from left), 59, a mining tycoon and incidentally brother-in-law of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, will be named the new boss of African football without even having to go through the always uncertain exercise of voting by delegates.
Patrice Motsepe will not have an opponent, at the end of the week, at the time of the nomination. His three former rivals have all chosen to withdraw for his benefit. Clarification: Patrice Motsepe is Gianni Infantino's candidate.
FIFA's maneuver to achieve such a result, pompously described as "African unity” by the international football body, was organized in two stages. A first meeting in Rabat, Morocco, at the end of February, to clear the ground, distribute roles and cut the cake. Then a second more formal one, Sunday March 7, at the Palais des Congrès in Nouakchott, in Mauritania, on the sidelines of the final of the African Under-20 Cup of Nations.
During the first meeting, FIFA without much difficulty obtained the renunciation of the Senegalese Augustin Senghor and the Mauritanian Ahmed Yahya, two of the early candidates. The two men agreed to stand aside in exchange for the same compensation: a position of vice-president.
In Rabat, Jacques Anouma, the former president of the Ivorian Football Federation, also heard FIFA emissaries offer him a position as advisor to the president in exchange for his renunciation. At the time, he seemed to accept. But his campaign manager quickly assured that he was continuing the race.
In Nouakchott, Sunday March 7, Jacques Anouma finally gave in. He also withdrew in favor of the South African billionaire. The Ivorian appeared on the stand, with Gianni Infantino, Patrice Motsepe, Augustin Senghor and Ahmed Yahya (photo above), when celebrating “ unity rediscovered” of African football.
Proof of the very direct, and even personal, involvement of Gianni Infantino in the maneuver, the official press release published on the evening of the Nouakchott agreement cites the words of the FIFA president. “ The agreement obtained by the candidates is a strong signal for Africa, also for the world, suggests Gianni Infantino. An Africa united behind a vision and a concrete project will be stronger. Together we are stronger. This is what the African Member Associations have been telling us over the last few weeks, so I'm sure they too are very happy at this time."
According to the official version, also written by FIFA, Patrice Motsepe will lead the Confederation of African Football with “ a common program” constructed from the campaign manifestos of the four candidates.
A former lawyer enriched by his investments in gold mines in South Africa at the end of the 90s, Patrice Motsepe has never held the slightest official position in a football body. His only record of service: ownership of a football club in his native country, Mamelodi Sundownset. But in 2008 he became the first black African billionaire in the ranking Forbes. His wealth is estimated at $2,8 billion.
With his election, Gianni Infantino should secure Africa's 54 votes. Always good to take in the perspective of a new mandate at the head of FIFA. Clarification: Patrice Motsepe will become, as soon as his victory is achieved, vice-president of FIFA.
The only final gray area: the Ahmad Ahmad case. The Malagasy leader, elected to the presidency of CAF in 2017 against Issa Hayatou, appealed to the CAS his five-year suspension pronounced by the FIFA ethics committee. He was interviewed last week. The verdict could be rendered as early as Monday March 8.
In the event of a favorable decision from the court based in Lausanne, Ahmad Ahmad could appear against Patrice Motsepe on Friday March 12 during the CAF general assembly. But his chances would be minimal.
