The Confederation of African Football (CAF) will convene its Executive Committee next week to consider FIFA’s new FIFA Forward Enterprise project, after world football’s governing body began formal consultations with its member associations.
FIFA has moved quickly to seek feedback on the initiative, only hours after revealing plans to open up the organisation of the World Cup to private investors. As part of that process, CAF has confirmed it has received an official letter from FIFA outlining the proposal.
In a statement published on its official website, CAF said it would stage “a meeting of the Executive Committee next week in order, among other things, to assess the proposed initiative.”
The consultation is being conducted under the banner of FIFA Forward Enterprise, a development of FIFA’s existing funding and support programme, and is aimed at gathering views from all confederations and national associations on the future commercial and governance model around major competitions.
CAF urges members to study proposal
CAF used its statement to call on its 54 member associations to engage fully with the FIFA process and to scrutinise the details of the new scheme.
“CAF also encourages its Member Associations to review the FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal and to participate in the consultation process in accordance with the rules and procedures established by CAF and FIFA,” the statement read.
The African body underlined that any response from the continent would be coordinated within the regulatory frameworks already in place at both CAF and FIFA, signalling that discussions will be channelled through existing governance structures rather than handled on an ad-hoc basis.
Focus on boosting resources for development
CAF also stressed its openness to working with FIFA on initiatives that could increase funding and other forms of support for the game, both in Africa and globally.
In its communique, the organisation expressed its willingness to collaborate in order to “increase the financial and other resources necessary for the development and growth of football in Africa and around the world.”
That emphasis reflects a long-standing priority for CAF, which has frequently highlighted the need for greater investment in infrastructure, youth development, women’s football and administrative capacity across the continent’s national associations.
Next steps for Africa’s response
The upcoming Executive Committee meeting is expected to shape CAF’s collective position on FIFA Forward Enterprise, before any formal feedback is sent to FIFA as part of the wider consultation.
While CAF has not yet indicated its stance on the proposal to involve private investors in World Cup organisation, the decision to fast-track an executive-level discussion underscores the significance of the project for African football.
The consultation process launched by FIFA will continue in the coming days, as confederations and national associations worldwide analyse the potential impact of FIFA Forward Enterprise on both global tournaments and domestic football development.
