Gianni Infantino has received public backing from five influential African football administrators as he seeks support from the Confederation of African Football’s 54 member associations ahead of next March’s Fifa presidential election.
The statements of support also welcomed the Fifa president’s decision to abandon a controversial proposal to sell a stake in future World Cup revenue.
The issue will be discussed by Caf’s executive committee when it meets on Thursday. The meeting is expected to consider Infantino’s abandoned Fifa Forward Enterprise initiative, which had been intended to raise $4.2bn through a new commercial rights body.
Infantino withdrew the plan on Friday after facing intense opposition. However, it remains on the agenda for the Caf meeting, although the organisation is not guaranteed to issue a formal position on his future.
Caf has so far avoided joining the criticism directed at Infantino by other continental confederations. Asia, Europe and Concacaf – which represents North and Central America and the Caribbean – all said over the weekend that they had lost confidence in his leadership.
That silence has left Infantino with the possibility of securing significant African support as he attempts to remain in office.
Among those backing him are Caf vice-president Fouzi Lekjaa of Morocco and Fifa Council members Hany Abo Rida of Egypt, Hamidou Djibrilla of Niger and Ahmed Yhaya of Mauritania.
Veron Mosengo-Omba, who was recently elected president of the football federation in the Democratic Republic of Congo, has also expressed support. Mosengo-Omba is a former Caf general secretary and studied at university in Switzerland alongside Infantino.
The five administrators issued statements with similar wording. Each welcomed the decision to abandon the commercial project before praising Infantino and declaring support for him.
African backing was important to Infantino when he won the Fifa presidency in 2016. His campaign included a promise to more than double the development funding distributed to Fifa’s member associations.
That financial support has helped him remain popular among African members, many of which face serious financial difficulties and depend heavily on Fifa funding to operate and compete.
Said Ali Athouman, president of the Comoros Football Federation, said: “Our problem is how to obtain money. Right now, we have no sponsors. So how do we compete?”
He added that wealthier countries benefited from better training, infrastructure and equipment, giving them a clear advantage in international competition. Most European countries do not face the same financial pressures.
Fleetwood Haiya, president of the Football Association of Malawi, said: “Our government is not able to make sure they have medical supplies in hospitals and at the same time to look at football. Malawi needs money. Malawi needs stadiums.”
Under Fifa’s current funding system, each of its 211 member associations is guaranteed $8m over a four-year cycle. Caf also provides its members with an annual grant.
The policy of giving direct grants to national associations was first proposed by Infantino’s predecessor, Sepp Blatter, during his 1998 election campaign against Lennart Johansson.
Blatter won with the support of most African countries, despite Caf formally endorsing Johansson, who was then Uefa president. At that time, African associations had not previously received financial assistance from world football’s governing body.
Infantino continued the policy after taking office, changing its name from the Goal Project to Fifa Forward and substantially increasing the amount of money available.
Caf president Patrice Motsepe offered strong support for Infantino just days before the controversy over the proposed World Cup revenue agreement emerged.
“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.”
