Africa’s football progress will shape future support for Infantino, says Benin FA chief

African football’s development, rather than disputes over Fifa governance, will be the main factor in determining future support for president Gianni Infantino, according to Benin Football Federation president Marcellin Bocove.

Bocove was speaking ahead of the Fifa U-20 Women’s World Cup, which begins on Saturday and runs until 27 September in Poland.

The tournament is the first Fifa global competition since a major governance controversy erupted over Infantino’s proposal to sell a stake in the World Cup to private investors. The plan, which placed a $20bn (£15.2bn; R319.08bn) value on the commercial rights to the World Cup and other Fifa competitions, was abandoned in late July after strong opposition from European governing body Uefa and other stakeholders.

Infantino apologised for “errors” made during the Fifa forward enterprise proposal but later defended the idea as a way of directing more money towards poorer national football federations.

The Swiss administrator, who has said he will stand for a fourth term in March 2027, has faced calls to resign. However, he continues to enjoy the backing of the African and South American confederations.

Speaking to Reuters on the sidelines of Benin’s training session in Katowice on Friday, Bocove said the country would assess Infantino’s record and the progress made under his leadership.

“It is not up to me to say whether he [Infantino] is the right person or not, but we look at the track record of what’s been done over the past 10 years or so,” Bocove said.

“What is important for us is that Africa progresses in the development of football, and that is more what we will be basing our position on going forward.”

Asked whether Benin would vote for Infantino at the 2027 election, Bocove said: “It’s too early to answer such a question. We don’t know how things will unfold by then.”

Bocove said African football had made measurable progress in recent years but needed further financial backing to continue developing.

“There is investment,” he added. “We need to continue, keep going in the same direction, and so that calls for even more investment, and so the needs are there, we have to address them.”

Gideon Fosu, a member of the Ghana Football Association’s executive committee, also praised Infantino’s stated commitment to developing football across the continent.

“I think genuinely the passion for Infantino to just want to help develop football in Africa, for me, is something that I admire,” Fosu said.

“I think that the support he requires is what I am hoping that everybody will look beyond setting boundaries.

“So if there’s that structure there, that intention to develop the women’s game and football as a whole in Africa, I think that is something that everybody should support.”

Benin are among four African teams competing at the U-20 Women’s World Cup, alongside Nigeria, Ghana and Tanzania.

The tournament will provide the first major opportunity for officials from across the game to focus on competition since the abandoned investment proposal intensified debate over Infantino’s leadership and Fifa’s governance.

Reuters