CAF under fire for openness to Infantino’s World Cup commercialisation plan as other confederations push back

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) is facing mounting criticism after signalling a willingness to study Gianni Infantino’s contentious plan to partially privatise FIFA’s flagship competitions, at a time when UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and CONCACAF have all moved to distance themselves from the project.

FIFA is preparing to launch a new commercial subsidiary, FIFA Forward Enterprise, which would take charge of the rights to the men’s and women’s World Cups, as well as the FIFA Club World Cup. Around 20% of this entity, valued at $20bn (£15.6bn), would be opened up to private investors reported to be close to former United States president Donald Trump.

In return, FIFA is promising a substantial financial incentive for federations backing the initiative, with each expected to receive around €35m (£29.5m), subject to approval by the FIFA Council in a vote due to take place after 19 September.

CAF breaks ranks

While UEFA has openly condemned the project – accusing FIFA of using football primarily as a vehicle for enrichment – and CONCACAF has voiced concerns about procedural shortcomings, CAF has taken a notably different line.

The African governing body confirmed it will examine the proposal at its executive committee meeting next week. That stance has made CAF the first continental confederation not to publicly oppose the plan, a position that has triggered sharp reactions in the media and online.

French outlet RMC Sport described CAF’s approach as a “faille dans la resistance” – a crack in the resistance to Infantino – and characterised its “position a contre-courant” as unsurprising, given the close relationship between the FIFA president and CAF chief Patrice Motsepe, despite recent speculation suggesting Infantino had distanced himself from the South African billionaire.

RMC Sport also underlined the weight of the promised cheques to national associations and forecast that CAF – already a declared backer of Infantino ahead of the next FIFA presidential election in March 2027 – is unlikely to join what it called the growing “fronde” against the project.

Sports daily L’Equipe reached a similar conclusion, noting that CAF “ne rejoint pas l’opposition” and highlighting that it stands alone among the confederations in not publicly rejecting the plan. Football site Foot Mercato struck the same note, pointing out that CAF has said it is “a l’ecoute du projet” – open to hearing the details.

In the Spanish‐speaking media, UHN Deportes expressed surprise at what it called CAF’s “prudencia marcada” – a markedly cautious stance – in contrast to the more confrontational responses from other regions.

Social media backlash

Reactions on social networks have been even more uncompromising. Journalist Romain Molina argued that “la CAF poursuit son numero de soumission et ne critique aucunement la FIFA” – claiming CAF is continuing an attitude of submission and refusing to criticise FIFA at all.

Fellow journalist Sebastien Vidal was equally blunt, writing: “La CAF va soutenir le fossoyeur du football mondial” – “CAF is going to back the gravedigger of world football.”

One user, DoxYs, drew widespread attention with a post stating that “la CAF est trop le negre de maison de la FIFA”, deploying a highly offensive racial slur to accuse CAF of being excessively subservient to the world governing body.

Influencer Footeuse linked the controversy to wider politics, recalling the travel restrictions imposed during Trump’s presidency. She asked how “la CAF a deja oublie que Trump a refuse que des acteurs du foot et des supporters se rendent a la Coupe du monde et s’empresse d’etudier la proposition de la dynastie Trump au lieu de denoncer ?” – questioning how CAF could already have forgotten that Trump had refused to allow people involved in football and fans to travel to the World Cup, yet was now rushing to consider a proposal attributed to the Trump family. Her verdict was stark: “L’indecence n’a pas de limite…” – “Indecency has no limits.”

Other accounts suggested CAF’s stance should not surprise observers. User Difou92 asked simply: “Sommes-nous etonnes de ce genre de prise de position de la part de la CAF ?” – “Are we really surprised by this kind of position from CAF?” For 99patoy, the move was seen as a logical outcome of existing power dynamics, summarised as: “Trump tient Infantino, Infantino tient Motsepe C’est juste logique que la CAF ne soit pas contre” – “Trump has Infantino, Infantino has Motsepe. It’s only logical that CAF is not against it.”

High stakes before FIFA Council vote

CAF has not publicly endorsed the FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal, but its readiness to consider the plan, rather than line up with UEFA, the AFC and CONCACAF, has placed the organisation at the centre of the debate.

With a significant financial windfall on offer for member associations and Infantino’s re‐election campaign on the horizon in 2027, the combination of continental realpolitik and economic incentives is expected to keep CAF’s position under intense scrutiny.

As the 19 September deadline approaches and the FIFA Council prepares to vote, the African body’s eventual decision is likely to remain one of the most heavily debated elements of a restructuring plan that could reshape how world football’s showpiece tournaments are run and who profits from them.