African football leaders have pledged unconditional support for FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s re-election bid, citing his financial contributions to the continent and commitment to developing the game over the past decade.
The presidents of all 54 member associations of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced their backing on Thursday at a conference in Cape Verde, giving the Swiss-Italian a significant boost ahead of next year’s FIFA presidential election.
CAF President Patrice Motsepe said the decision reflected Infantino’s support for African football since he took charge of world football’s governing body in 2016.
“There is a unanimous decision by the 54 CAF member associations to unconditionally support Gianni as president of FIFA,” Motsepe told delegates at the conference.
“This is because of the history and the support that Gianni has given to African football.”
Infantino addressed the football leaders at the first-of-its-kind strategy symposium for African football, providing an opportunity to engage more than a quarter of FIFA’s 211 voting members ahead of the election.
FIFA funding boosts Infantino’s support
A major reason for the backing is FIFA’s financial investment in African football through its FIFA Forward programme, which Infantino said had channelled $1bn into the continent over the past decade.
“As FIFA president, I am proud to have contributed , with you , a little bit in this revolution (in African football) in the last 10 years,” Infantino said.
“With the FIFA Forward programme, we have invested one billion dollars in 10 years in Africa, with 124 different projects and many other actions.”
He also promised additional resources to help African football improve and compete at the highest level, citing the participation of 10 African countries in the most recent World Cup as a success for the continent.
“Our commitment is to make sure that your football is going to continue to improve and grow, give you more opportunities. Ten countries at the (last) World Cup has been a success for the entire continent,” he said.
“We will continue to look for the resources and the increases (in funding) that are necessary to boost the African game to the top of world football.”
The endorsement comes after Infantino shelved a controversial plan to sell a stake in FIFA tournaments following opposition, particularly from European and North American countries.
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