Infantino’s African Fumble: Snubbed, Scanned, and Stripped of His Football Emperor Fantasy
At the CAF Ordinary General Assembly in Kinshasa on October 6, 2025, FIFA President Gianni Infantino and CAF President Patrice Motsepe encountered an unprecedented two-hour wait outside the office of DRC President Félix Tshisekedi.
This marked a stark contrast to Infantino’s usual smooth access during his diplomatic tours in Africa and Asia, where football diplomacy has opened doors to state leaders and palaces.
The gathering, meant to affirm Veron Mosengo-Omba’s appointment as CAF Secretary General, prioritizing his Congolese roots over his acquired Swiss ties—devolved into a public humiliation for Infantino.
He had miscalculated, believing his image as an impartial football administrator would shield him from scrutiny by African heads of state.
Against their own laws related to dual-citizenship, DRC issued Veron Mosengo-Omba a passport to enable him qualify as a CAF Secretary General
Once admitted, Infantino faced intense security protocols, including metal detection scans that left his entourage stunned. Suspicions arose from his close alliance with Rwandan President Paul Kagame, prompting fears he might be carrying surveillance or tracking equipment.
Kagame stands accused of exacerbating eastern Congo’s instability by backing the M23 rebels and harboring ex-President Joseph Kabila to enable gold smuggling networks involving Kenya’s leadership and the UAE, as outlined in reports from the U.S. Senate and Swiss monitoring organizations.
The official CAF gala dinner, slated to be officiated by President Félix Tshisekedi, was delayed by a full hour due to his prior commitments elsewhere. This apparent snub served as a pointed signal of his reluctance to indulge the undue adulation African leaders have historically showered on Gianni Infantino, the so-called “white savior” of African football.
Infantino, cast as a shadowy influencer in global sports, is now caught in Africa’s intricate geopolitical tensions. His tactic of using football events to draw governments into politically advantageous deals has lost its grip, with sports no longer serving as the masses’ primary distraction.
Take Cameroon: Billions poured into “white elephant” stadiums for the 2021 CHAN and 2022 AFCON have yielded little return. President Paul Biya now grapples with his toughest electoral fight yet on October 12, 2025, as Gen Z-supported challenger Issa Tchiroma declares victory, signaling widespread disillusionment.
Ultimately, the lavish CAF tournament investments and hype peddled by Infantino and Motsepe have proven fruitless, leaving regimes to bear the fallout from heeding such dubious advisors.
