The Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, showed his support for FIFA’s president, Gianni Infantino, sending a stark warning to critics calling for the Swiss boss’s resignation.
Also see: FIFA stands by Gianni Infantino despite calls for him to step down
Gayton McKenzie praises Gianni Infantino’s contributions
Taking to his X (formerly Twitter) account on 6 August 2026, Gayton wrote, “Africa should be cautious in joining the public lynching of Infantino.”
The politician added that the FIFA president had been an asset for football on the African continent, stating, “We can debate his ideas, but let’s not forget who has been a friend to us. Many of those calling for his head want the old status quo back too.”
Africa should be cautious in joining the public lynching of Infantino. He has been very good to African football. We can debate his ideas but let’s not forget who has been a friend to us. Many of those calling for his head want the old status quo back too.
— Gayton McKenzie (@GaytonMcK) August 6, 2026
Also see: FIFA president Gianni Infantino thanks Bafana for their participation
What did Gianni Infantino do?
The minister comments come as Infantino navigates one of the most significant political tests of his presidency.
Yen reports that at the centre of the controversy is the proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise initiative, which would see FIFA sell a stake in the commercial rights to the FIFA World Cup. The plan has drawn criticism after reports that the organisation’s 211 member associations were not consulted before it was unveiled.
As reported by Sky Sports, Gianni travelled to Rabat, Morocco, on 5 August 2026 for emergency discussions. Following a seven-hour meeting, FIFA’s management board announced that it had reaffirmed its “full support” for the president.
The internet responds
After seeing Gayton’s tweet, many social media users expressed their thoughts, mostly disagreeing with the minister’s stance.
“An absolute rubbish take. So we must go along with corruption because he does what he is paid to do?” @Mightymanc49015 remarked.
@Nonameogfr added, “Asking us to turn a blind eye to corruption as a minister is a huge red flag.”
@tebohoramos stated in the exclaimed, “Just because you’ve been a friend to me doesn’t mean I should not call you out for being corrupt!”
“Do you even know what it means to stand for something?” asked @maindawg88.
Also see: UEFA slams FIFA over Balogun ban reversal after alleged Trump call
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