Why African Associations Back Infantino: The Money Behind FIFA Forward
FIFA Grants: Gianni Infantino scales up Blatter’s grant plan as African backing grows. The Idea That Won Blatter 1998 And Keeps Infantino In Power.
African nations were key to Infantino’s 2016 election win after he pledged to more than double the development...
Top African football officials are rallying behind FIFA President Gianni Infantino amid mounting pressure on his leadership. With the crisis deepening, Infantino is turning to the continent’s 54 member associations for support to hold onto his position.
Five prominent leaders from across Africa have publicly backed Infantino. At the same time, they praised FIFA’s decision to scrap the contentious proposal to sell off a share of future World Cup revenues.
The statements were issued ahead of Thursday’s Confederation of Football executive committee meeting, where officials are set to address the shelved plan to generate $4.2 billion through a new commercial rights entity.
While Asia, Europe, and CONCACAF which governs soccer in North and Central America and the Caribbean - all said over the weekend that they’d lost faith in Infantino’s leadership, CAF stayed quiet. That silence gives Infantino hope he can lean on CAF’s 54 votes to stay in office at the FIFA presidential election in March.
CAF only put out a statement last Wednesday saying it would review Infantino’s FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal. He dropped the plan entirely on Friday after facing heavy pushback.
The FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal is still listed on the agenda for the CAF meeting, though it’s unclear if African football’s governing body will make any formal decision on Infantino’s future.
Several senior committee members say they support Infantino. That group includes CAF Vice President Fouzi Lekjaa of Morocco, along with FIFA Council members Hany Abo Rida from Egypt, Hamidou Djibrilla from Niger, and Ahmed Yahya from Mauritania.
There’s also backing from Veron Mosengo-Omba, the newly elected president of the DRC football federation and former CAF general secretary. He and Infantino studied together at university in Switzerland.
Each issued statements with nearly identical wording, praising Infantino for scrapping the plan before voicing their backing for him.
African nations were key to Infantino’s 2016 election win after he pledged to more than double the development funding sent to FIFA’s member associations.
That increased funding is a big reason he remains popular across Africa. Many associations there face financial difficulties and now rely heavily on FIFA money just to take part in competitions.
FIFA guarantees each of its 211 member associations $8 million in baseline funding every four-year cycle, while CAF has added its own annual grants for members.
"Our problem is how to obtain money. Right now, we have no sponsors. So how do we compete? The richest nations can train players, have infrastructure and equipment, and it's no coincidence that they then achieve results. Most European countries don't have these problems,” said Said Ali Athouman, the president of the Comoros Football Federation.
"Our government is not able to make sure that they have medical supplies in hospitals and at the same time to look at football. Malawi needs money. Malawi needs stadiums,” added Fleetwood Haiya, president of the Football Association of Malawi.
“I personally support Gianni Infantino,” he said. “He's not just a good friend. He's a loyal friend. He's loyal to Africa. I come from a background where when people have been loyal to you, you never stab them in the back.”
How Financial Aid Became FIFA’s Political Tool
Direct funding to member associations was first proposed by Sepp Blatter during his 1998 election campaign against Lennart Johansson. Blatter won largely thanks to support from African nations, many of whom had never received financial assistance from FIFA before - despite CAF officially backing Johansson, who was UEFA president at the time.
Infantino kept the concept alive, rebranding Blatter’s Goal Project as FIFA Forward and massively scaling up the amount of money distributed.
Just days before the controversy over selling World Cup revenue surfaced, CAF President Patrice Motsepe publicly heaped praise on Infantino.
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