Whose Turn Is It Now, Asks Patrick Omorodion

African proverb says "if one man own no spoil, another man own no go better," which essentially means one person's loss is another's gain, a concept that applies to the world of football, particularly in the context of FIFA's leadership, as seen in the case of Joseph Sepp Blatter, who in 2015, was embroiled in financial scandals during his fifth term as president.

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Blatter's troubles began with a controversial 2-million Swiss franc payment to then UEFA president Michel Platini, leading to investigations, trials, and eventual clearance of fraud charges by a Swiss federal court, but the probe was part of broader racketeering, wire fraud, and money laundering investigations that led to Blatter's resignation in 2015 after he was suspended.

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Then senior vice president and CAF president, Issa Hayatou, took over as acting president pending the election in 2016, but Hayatou did not contest the election due to his failing health, and instead of supporting the only African candidate, Mosima Gabriel "Tokyo" Sexwale, a South African businessman, CAF backed Gianni Infantino, a Swiss like Blatter.

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Sexwale withdrew from the race before voting started, and Europe naturally backed Infantino, but the support of Africa for Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, the oil-rich Bahrain candidate and president of the Asian Confederation, meant Infantino couldn't win in the first round, and he eventually won in the second round with 115 votes, mostly from African voters who switched after the first ballot.

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Ten years later, Infantino is embroiled in another controversy, with his home confederation, UEFA, leading the assault, initially due to concerns that US President Donald Trump was interfering with the organization of the World Cup, and later due to Infantino's plan to sell a 21% stake in future World Cup revenues to private investors without consulting stakeholders.

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This has led to calls for his resignation, and with the 211 member associations set to gather in Rabat, Morocco in March next year for the FIFA Congress to elect the next FIFA president, it remains to be seen if Infantino will survive, especially as those who had pledged their support are now withdrawing it.

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FIFA's current Vice Presidents include Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, Alejandro Domínguez, Aleksander Čeferin, Lambert Maltock, Patrice Motsepe, Victor Montagliani, Sándor Csányi, and Debbie Hewitt, and it is unclear if any of them will challenge Infantino, particularly Sheikh Salman, who contested against him in 2016 and lost.

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Europe has vowed to withdraw its support for Infantino and has even threatened to withdraw from the World Cup if he remains president, while South America has expressed disapproval of his communication style but will not withdraw its support, and Africa remains united in its support for his commercialization plan and another term in office.

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The 211 confederations' votes are divided among the six regional groups, with Europe having 55 votes, Africa having 54 votes, Asia having 47 votes, North/Central America and the Caribbeans having 35 votes, South America having 10 votes, and Oceania having 10 votes, and with Europe, Asia, and North & Central America already opposed to Infantino, it may be difficult for him to win.

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Possible opposition candidates include Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, Paris Saint-Germain president, Aleksander Čeferin, UEFA president, Lise Klaveness, Norwegian Football Association president, and Victor Montagliani, CONCACAF president and FIFA vice president, although no one has officially declared their interest in the race.

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Skeikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa, apart from being president of the Asian Football Confederation and Senior vice president of FIFA, was also a previous opponent of Infantino and may try his luck again, especially given his opposition to some of Infantino's ideas, leaving the question of whose time it is to take the helm of FIFA.