Malawi Football Association president Fleetwood Haiya has given his full backing to Gianni Infantino’s continuation as FIFA president, saying his country’s historic qualification for the 2027 Women’s World Cup is a direct result of the governing body’s investment in African football.
Malawi have reached the semi-finals of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, currently being held in Morocco, and secured a place at the next Women’s World Cup for the first time. Haiya said the achievement would not have been possible without Infantino’s approach to developing the game in less wealthy football nations.
“If we look at what Infantino has achieved in developing football for less fortunate associations and for Africa in general, I would be very surprised if any African association did not support him,” Haiya told Reuters in an exclusive interview on Wednesday.
Infantino is facing increasing pressure as he seeks to retain the FIFA presidency. Elections are due to take place next March, and Haiya said his support was based on the Swiss-Italian’s emphasis on equal opportunities, grassroots football and the women’s game.
“He believed in us when we spoke to him about our projects, and as a result Malawi qualified for the World Cup for the first time,” said Haiya.
“What more could one need from a president than someone who listens to you and believes in your vision?”
Haiya also addressed a controversial proposal recently withdrawn by Infantino, which involved selling a stake in the commercial rights to the World Cup for $4.2bn. He said withdrawing the plan was the correct decision because of concerns over governance, but argued that FIFA still needed to find another way to provide financial assistance to poorer national associations.
The proposed $40m grant would have been transformative for Malawi, according to Haiya, who said the country’s players had reached the World Cup despite training in extremely difficult conditions.
“Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world, and we suffer from serious infrastructure problems,” he said.
“If you saw the pitches where our girls who qualified for the World Cup train, you would be shocked. We have the talent, but we lack the resources.”
Malawi’s run in Morocco has made them one of the surprise stories of the tournament. Their semi-final appearance has also delivered the country a landmark qualification, underlining the impact of FIFA funding and development programmes in Africa, according to Haiya.
He said his loyalty to Infantino was “firm and unwavering”, while welcoming the possibility of a democratic contest at next year’s FIFA election. However, he challenged any potential rival to set out clearly what they would offer Malawi.
“Anyone who wants to challenge Infantino should declare their intentions and explain what they will offer Malawi,” Haiya said.
“So far, I am satisfied with the way he is running FIFA. The evil you know is better than the evil you do not know. If you asked me now, I would say that I support Infantino and will nominate him.”
