African football boss Patrice Motsepe offered his "personal support" on Wednesday to FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who is running for re-election but is facing criticism during the 2026 World Cup, at a press conference held by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in Johannesburg.

This support comes after a series of controversies targeting FIFA during the World Cup, including the introduction of water breaks, the idea of expanding the competition to 64 teams, and the organization's decision to postpone the suspension of American striker Folarin Balogun after a call from Donald Trump to Gianni Infantino.

"We have made the decision to support --and I personally support-- Infantino. He is not just a good friend, he is a faithful friend, loyal to Africa," said the South African, president of CAF.

"I appreciate his deep love for football, his unwavering commitment to the sport globally and his support for Africa," praised Patrice Motsepe to reporters.

He highlighted the support of the FIFA president for increasing the African quota to 48 teams from the 2026 World Cup onwards, with four additional direct places as well as one play-off place.

"Gianni played a central role in expanding opportunities for African national teams on the international stage," he stated.

The continent was represented by a record 10 teams at this year's tournament, co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Nine of them advanced to the knockout stage.

Gianni Infantino, who succeeded Sepp Blatter as FIFA president in 2016, is expected to stand for re-election in 2027 in order to seek a fourth term at the head of world football's governing body.

Africa is particularly influential at FIFA, with the 54 member associations of CAF forming the largest unified voting bloc among the six continental confederations.

In April, Conmebol, the South American governing body, became the first continental confederation to publicly support the incumbent's candidacy for re-election, and CAF quickly followed suit.

But discontent is brewing in some European institutions and federations, opening the possibility for a candidate supported by Europe to challenge Gianni Infantino.

For example, the president of the Spanish Football League, Javier Tebas, accused FIFA on Tuesday of "destroying the football industry".

He judged that Gianni Infantino's time "(was) over", denouncing to Gazzetta dello Sport a "system flawed at its core" that has allowed him to run FIFA for a decade.

ho/clv/fal/msh/cpb/