Report: Infantino support within CAF may be limited to four executive members

Only four members of the Confederation of African Football’s executive committee reportedly declared their support for FIFA president Gianni Infantino at a meeting before CAF publicly backed him.

CAF approved the withdrawal of a plan to privatise stakes in the FIFA Forward Enterprise World Cup project on 6 August. It also officially reaffirmed “a l’unanimite” its support for Infantino, who has faced pressure since details of the proposal emerged.

However, according to Sport News Africa, the apparent unanimity did not reflect the reality of the internal discussions. The four members said to have openly supported the Italo-Swiss administrator were CAF president Patrice Motsepe and the heads of the Moroccan, Mauritanian and Djiboutian football federations: Fouzi Lekjaa, Ahmed Yahya and Souleiman Waberi.

Idriss Diallo, president of the Ivorian Football Federation, is also understood to support Infantino, although he is said to have done so quietly. The remaining members of the executive committee reportedly chose not to take a public position during the meeting.

Several of those who abstained were said to have been surprised by the difference between CAF’s public statement and the tone of the internal debate. Their silence, however, should not necessarily be interpreted as opposition to Infantino.

The report suggests that many officials are waiting to see how the balance of opinion develops before committing themselves. For now, Infantino is still believed to retain considerable support within CAF.

That backing is reportedly linked in part to promises of FIFA funding. Some officials are also said to be concerned that taking a clear position could expose them to the possibility of investigations into questionable management.

CAF’s statement followed the decision to abandon the proposed privatisation of shares connected to the FIFA Forward Enterprise World Cup project. The organisation described its support for Infantino as unanimous, but the account of the executive committee meeting indicates that only a small group openly expressed that view before the announcement.

The contrast has raised questions about the extent of Infantino’s support within African football’s governing body, particularly as members appear to be withholding their positions while they assess how the situation develops.

The report does not establish that those who remained silent are opposed to the FIFA president. Instead, it portrays a body in which a number of officials may be choosing caution, waiting for clearer indications of the prevailing mood before making their positions known.

At present, Motsepe, Lekjaa, Yahya and Waberi are the four officials identified as having publicly backed Infantino during the meeting, with Diallo also understood to be supportive but less openly.

The claims were reported by Sport News Africa and form part of the continuing debate over the strength of Infantino’s support inside CAF following the controversy surrounding the FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal.