Sexwale had been seen as the outsider in the five-man race.
“I have got a surprise for you. My campaign ends today and I suspend my participation. With only four people, it is your problem now," he said, speaking after the other four candidates.
Sexwale had not been backed by his own African confederation, with CAF making public in January its support of Asian confederation president Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa.
Gianni Infantino
Six months ago Gianni Infantino was a low-profile right-hand man to European soccer boss Michel Platini. He was the striking, shaven-headed character who pulled balls out of glass pots during televised UEFA competition draws.
Barely-known by the general public, he was also the man behind a complex attempt to force Europe's clubs to reign in their spending, but which ended up leaving fans and even club directors confused.
On Friday, Infantino was chosen as the new president of FIFA, a position which made his predecessor Sepp Blatter as instantly recognizable as some of the world's leading statesman.
It was a remarkable leap for the affable Swiss-Italian.
The polyglot lawyer only entered the FIFA race in late October, one day before the deadline, as a stop-gap candidate after Platini had been placed under investigation for ethics violations.
When Platini failed to clear his name and was banned from soccer for six years, Infantino was left carrying the hopes of European soccer.
In the intervening time, he has visited several dozen countries, clocking up by his own calculations enough air miles to have flown around the world three times.
"In October 27, I started my journey in Cairo, and last Monday I finished in Cape Town, so it was a kind of Cape to Cairo in reverse," he said during his presentation to the FIFA congress on Friday.
By: Reuters.
Photo: World Economic Forum.
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