Patrice Motsepe stands by Infantino as FIFA president faces crisis over collapsed $4.2 billion deal

Patrice Motsepe, the South African mining billionaire who leads the Confederation of African Football, is refusing to walk away from FIFA president Gianni Infantino, even as a botched $4.2 billion commercial rights deal has pushed the world football chief into the most dangerous stretch of his presidency.

Infantino flew to Morocco on Wednesday to convene an emergency gathering of senior FIFA officials at the governing body's Africa headquarters in Sale, scrambling to shore up his position after a proposal to sell a 20% stake in a new commercial rights entity to private investors collapsed under fierce criticism, including scrutiny over the involvement of a company with family links to U.S. President Donald Trump.

Motsepe did not flinch. "I personally support Infantino," he said. "He's not just a good friend, he's loyal to Africa. I come from a background where, when people have been loyal to you, you never stab them in the back."

That loyalty carries real weight. Africa's 54 member associations account for more than a quarter of FIFA's 211 votes, and Motsepe's endorsement is widely read as a signal that the continent's powerful bloc will back Infantino at next year's presidential congress in Morocco.

The backdrop to that backing is increasingly turbulent. Infantino withdrew the plan last Friday, but the retreat changed little. UEFA accused him of selling the soul of the game and formally withdrew its confidence in his leadership. A handful of European federations have since pulled their support, and what looked like a guaranteed fourth term just two months ago is now genuinely uncertain.

The criticism landed inside FIFA's own walls too. Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom sent staff an internal memo lamenting the situation, with colleagues describing a project that appeared to be the work of just one person. FIFA subsequently acknowledged that mistakes were made and that the process should have been handled differently, though officials at the Morocco meeting reaffirmed their support for Infantino.

Political figures piled on as well. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he lost confidence in Infantino after learning that senior advisers had not been consulted, calling it a "fatal" governance failure.

Under FIFA rules, a formal request from 43 member countries could trigger an emergency congress to challenge Infantino's presidency before the scheduled March election. No such move has materialized, and Motsepe is giving no ground to those pushing for one.

"I like his deep love for football, his deep commitment to football in the world and his support for Africa," Motsepe told journalists in Johannesburg. Reuters has reported that Africa's loyalty is also tied to FIFA Forward funding, which channels $8 million every four years to each member association.

With no rival candidate yet in the race, Infantino's survival hinges on whether that African solidarity, anchored in large part by Motsepe's vocal support, holds all the way to March.