CAF Reaffirms Support For Embattled FIFA President Gianni Infantino

CAF Reaffirms Support for Embattled FIFA President Gianni Infantino

The Confederation of African Football CAF has reaffirmed its support for FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s bid for re-election, despite mounting opposition to his leadership from several major football confederations. CAF’s executive committee unanimously reconfirmed its backing for Infantino earlier this month, thanking him for his support for African football during his time as FIFA president.

The decision comes amid one of the biggest political challenges of Infantino’s presidency. UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation AFC and CONCACAF have criticised him over a now-abandoned proposal to sell a stake in FIFA’s future World Cup commercial rights to private investors. The three confederations have called for greater accountability and an independent review of the decision-making process.CAF president Patrice Motsepe has argued that Infantino’s future should ultimately be decided through the FIFA election rather than by pressure to force him out before the vote. Motsepe said FIFA’s 211 member associations should be allowed to decide the matter at the organisation’s 2027 Congress, adding that anyone who wants to challenge Infantino should put forward their candidacy.

The FIFA presidential election is scheduled for March 2027 in Rabat, Morocco. CAF represents 54 FIFA member associations, giving Africa almost a quarter of the votes in the presidential election.

However, CAF’s endorsement does not necessarily guarantee that all 54 African countries will vote for Infantino. FIFA members vote individually, and previous elections have shown that national associations can diverge from the position of their continental confederation. Some African countries have already publicly backed Infantino, while others are taking a more cautious approach as pressure on the FIFA president grows. Infantino’s position has weakened in recent weeks, with several national associations withdrawing their support for his re-election. New Zealand became the latest to do so on Friday, calling for an independent review of FIFA’s governance following the abandoned commercial-rights proposal. Despite the growing opposition, Infantino continues to enjoy significant support from Africa, South America and several Arab football associations. The battle over FIFA’s presidency is therefore shaping up as a major contest between supporters of Infantino and those demanding changes to the organisation’s leadership and governance.