Maile said he had carefully considered whether it was worth challenging Malema for the presidency of the ANC Youth League at its conference in Midrand, Gauteng, this week.
"My provincial general council put a resolution not to support me and that meant they wanted me to remain in the province. I did not want to put my interest first, then I decided to decline nomination," he said.
Maile was being lobbied by the anti-Malema grouping within the youth league who saw the Gauteng sports MEC as the suitable challenger to Malema.
Both Maile and Malema are former presidents of the ANC-aligned student organisation Cosas.
Malema was nominated by all nine provinces. In Gauteng Maile only managed 219 votes in the nominations, while Malema got about 270 - a clear blow to his ambitions.
According to a source close to the matter, who declined to be named, had Maile stood against Malema and lost, the league's leadership would have worked to unseat him from his Gauteng league post.
Maile is understood to have had the sympathy of ANC leaders who support President Jacob Zuma and are against Malema's campaign to oust the president.
Maile said he would remain in his current positions as provincial youth chairman and an MEC.
Maile also did not have the blessing of the ANC's provincial leadership .
A meeting was held on Thursday night where some provincial leaders advised him not to challenge Malema.
Another would-be challenger for league office, Eastern Cape youth chairman Ayanda Matiti, failed to garner enough support from delegates to contest the secretary-general position.
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