Infantino strengthens African backing ahead of FIFA presidential election

With fewer than five weeks remaining before nominations close next month, FIFA president Gianni Infantino has strengthened his position in Africa ahead of next year’s presidential election.

Infantino used the CAF Strategy Conference on Sal Island in Cape Verde to reinforce his message of unity and continued cooperation, while the opposition from UEFA, CONCACAF and, to some extent, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) appears to be struggling to find a leading challenger.

The Swiss-Italian citizen told Africa’s football authorities that FIFA’s future should be shaped by working together.

“And we need to continue, of course, together on this path. Because it’s up to you, the member associations of CAF, who are also member associations of FIFA, to tell us what you want to do, how you want to continue, how we can make you stronger and you in Africa and everyone in the entire world. Because we always have to seek, of course, unity and growth in the entire world,” said Infantino.

“And this is because, and I repeat, football belongs to everyone, everywhere, everyone, everywhere. And we have to find the opportunities and the resources for this to become a reality.”

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) represents the second-largest voting bloc at the FIFA elective congress, with 54 member associations. UEFA has 55.

Following the second day of the conference, 52 of Africa’s 54 football association presidents appeared alongside CAF president Patrice Motsepe in an endorsement of Infantino. The show of support confirmed the strength of his position among African federations, although a public commitment from CAF does not necessarily guarantee every vote in the secret ballot.

The election will take place in Morocco in March next year. Infantino benefited from African support in 2015, when several CAF member associations voted for him despite the confederation publicly backing Asia’s Sheik Salman bin Al Khalifa through a vote-sharing agreement.

Infantino has also pointed to FIFA Forward funding as evidence of the organisation’s contribution to African football over the past 10 years. His election campaign in the continent has focused on FIFA’s support for its member associations and the progress made by African teams.

At the World Cup, nine out of 10 African nations reached the knockout phase for the first time.

Another issue highlighted by Infantino is the availability of suitable stadiums and pitches for international matches. He had previously set a target for every FIFA member association to have a world-class venue capable of hosting games that meet the highest standards.

Poor playing surfaces and inadequate facilities have long posed a major challenge in African football. FIFA and CAF introduced compliance standards, with some countries forced to stage home matches outside their borders. The number of nations playing home matches abroad has since fallen from 26 to fewer than 41, with over 41 countries now able to host games at home.

Governments have been chiefly responsible for improving stadium infrastructure, with national authorities providing the funding and football associations playing a supporting role. Motsepe has also made the issue a priority, visiting heads of state across the continent.