The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has reaffirmed its support for FIFA president Gianni Infantino, prompting questions over the organisation’s commitment to the principles of governance, due process and transparency.
In a statement issued on Thursday, CAF president Patrice Motsepe said: “For us in Africa, adherence to governance, due process and transparency is crucial and non-negotiable.”
The statement added: “The Caf exco also unanimously reconfirmed its support for Fifa president Gianni Infantino and thanked him for his support for African Football, over the years,”
That endorsement has raised questions about how CAF reconciles its stated principles with a series of controversies involving FIFA and Infantino.
One of those questions concerns Somali referee Omar Artan, who was prevented from entering the United States after the US government blocked him from travelling to officiate at the FIFA World Cup.
Infantino was present when Artan’s opportunity was lost, with the FIFA president criticised for appearing to accept the decision rather than challenge it. The episode has led to renewed scrutiny of the relationship between FIFA and the US administration of President Donald Trump.
There have also been reports that Infantino privately explored an agreement to sell a 20% stake in a company operating the World Cup to a venture capital business linked to the brother of Trump’s son-in-law. Those reports have prompted further doubts over whether the process was conducted openly and according to proper procedure.
Motsepe has described Infantino as having been “loyal to Africa”. However, that claim is being questioned in light of decisions affecting the continent’s major international tournament.
Infantino’s expanded FIFA Club World Cup contributed to the Africa Cup of Nations being moved to a different date in the football calendar last year. The competition, which had previously been staged every two years, is now scheduled to take place once every four years.
The central issue, critics argue, is whether Infantino’s approach has served African football or primarily advanced his own position.
CAF is not being asked to automatically support UEFA, whose leadership wants Infantino removed as FIFA president. European football’s historically dismissive attitude towards Africa provides understandable grounds for caution.
Infantino, however, worked for UEFA for 15 years and, during that period, did not appear to make decisions demonstrating particular loyalty towards Africa. His close relationship with the continent became more evident when he needed Africa’s voting bloc to help him win the FIFA presidency.
CAF and its member associations now face pressure to demonstrate that they can act independently rather than follow Infantino’s position. Supporting an independent investigation into the reported attempt to sell part of the World Cup operation would not require the organisation to align itself with UEFA.
The same principle could apply to other decisions surrounding the most recent World Cup, including the introduction of hydration breaks that critics say fundamentally breached the rules of the sport.
There is also a wider political dimension to the debate. In May, at the FIFA Congress in Vancouver, Infantino attempted to arrange a public handshake and joint appearance between Palestinian Football Association president Jibril Rajoub and an official from the Israeli football authorities.
Rajoub refused to participate in what he viewed as a superficial gesture. His response came against the background of the deaths of tens of thousands of babies, women and other civilians in Gaza and the West Bank.
That public refusal has been presented as an example of an official showing independence in the face of pressure from FIFA’s leadership.
The treatment of Artan, as well as African supporters and journalists who were denied entry to the United States to cover the World Cup, has added to the criticism. Further concerns have been expressed over the treatment of the Iranian team and the reported effort to secure billions from the World Cup without sufficient transparency.
Together, those episodes have fuelled the argument that Infantino’s principal loyalty is to himself rather than to Africa.
CAF’s statement offered an opportunity to show that it could lead independently and apply its own standards on governance, due process and transparency. Instead, Motsepe and the organisation have chosen to reaffirm their support for Infantino.
