CAF backs Infantino for FIFA re-election
Confederation of African Football president Patrice Motsepe has reaffirmed the continent’s support for FIFA president Gianni Infantino ahead of the 2027 FIFA presidential election.
Motsepe made the declaration on Thursday during a CAF strategy meeting in Cape Verde, where he urged representatives of Africa’s 54 national federations to back Infantino for another term.
“We took a resolution, unanimous that we support him and we will stand by him for the next elections,” Motsepe said before asking the delegates to give Infantino a round of applause.
Infantino, who had earlier addressed the meeting, received a sustained standing ovation as the delegates gradually rose to applaud him.
Motsepe also expressed confidence in Africa’s chances of producing a World Cup winner but stressed the need for greater investment in youth development.
“One of the nations from Africa will win the World Cup,” Motsepe said. “But we’ve got to spend more investment in our academies, in our youth.”
He described CAF’s partnership with Infantino as important while calling for more concrete investment in African football.
“We can’t just keep talking very nicely, having these beautiful plans. We’ve got to invest.”
Infantino has come under criticism from several FIFA member associations, particularly in Europe, Asia and North America, following his abandoned proposal to establish a commercial subsidiary to manage FIFA’s biggest competitions, including the World Cup and Club World Cup.
Motsepe defended Infantino’s integrity and challenged anyone with allegations against the FIFA president or other football officials to use the appropriate channels.
“If anybody has any allegation or any accusation against Gianni Infantino or me or any other president, go to the FIFA ethics committee.”
“There are these suggestions that we don’t respect government, that we are not as committed to governance, to transparency, to ethics,” said Motsepe.
“For us, governance and ethics and transparency and due process is a matter of life and death. Because our people are looking at us and they’re saying to us in football, how do you conduct, how do you behave?”
The next FIFA presidential election is scheduled to take place in Rabat, Morocco, on March 18, 2027.
