Fifa president Gianni Infantino continues to retain significant support in Africa, particularly among football associations that have benefited from increased funding during his tenure.
Infantino’s position has faced renewed scrutiny since his controversial plan to sell stakes in Fifa’s global competitions to private investors was abandoned after opposition from several regional governing bodies.
However, the executive committee of the Confederation of African Football (Caf) unanimously reaffirmed its support for Infantino late on Thursday, following messages of backing from leading African football administrators.
Five of the seven African members of the Fifa Council – Egypt, Morocco, Niger, Mauritania and Comoros – have also publicly supported him.
Much of the continent’s backing is linked to Fifa’s Forward programme, introduced by Infantino in 2016. The scheme has become an increasingly important source of finance for many African federations, helping fund football projects in countries where commercial and government investment is limited.
Morocco
Morocco has emerged as one of Africa’s leading football nations, largely as a result of government investment, but it has also developed a close relationship with Fifa.
Rabat is home to Fifa’s regional office for Africa. Morocco has hosted Fifa Club World Cups and a Women’s Under-17 World Cup, and will co-host the 2030 men’s World Cup with Spain and Portugal.
Fouzi Lekjaa, president of the Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF), renewed his support for Infantino after the Fifa president withdrew the Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal last week.
Lekjaa described the decision as “wise” and said it placed the unity of Fifa’s 211 member associations above other considerations.
Infantino also won public backing from senior football executives at a meeting in Morocco on Wednesday, held after a turbulent period following the collapse of the proposal.
Egypt
Egypt remains one of Infantino’s strongest institutional allies in Africa and is the host country of Caf’s headquarters.
The relationship has been reinforced by Hany Abo Rida, an influential football administrator and member of the Fifa Council who has maintained close links with Infantino since his election in 2016.
Egypt has benefited from Fifa Forward funding during Infantino’s presidency, with money directed towards infrastructure, youth development, coach education and women’s football.
The Egyptian Football Association has also received increased development support under Fifa’s wider investment strategy. New and expanded competitions have created further commercial and sporting opportunities.
That backing has been accompanied by rising expectations. Officials and observers increasingly want Fifa’s involvement in Africa to go beyond financial assistance, with greater attention given to good governance, transparency and sustainable development. They also want Caf to have more influence over the continent’s own priorities.
Democratic Republic of Congo
The Congolese Football Federation (Fecofa) welcomed Infantino’s decision to withdraw the FFE proposal, describing it as “wise” in a statement earlier this month.
Fecofa said the episode, which it described as having been born of good intentions, should not obscure what it considers to be Infantino’s wider record of supporting African federations and countries with fewer resources.
The federation said it had “greatly benefited” from Fifa programmes, particularly through investment in development and infrastructure.
The statement was signed by Veron Mosengo-Omba, who was elected president of Fecofa in May 2026. His election ended a period of uncertainty that followed the resignation of Constant Omari Selemani in 2021 and the creation of a Fifa-appointed Normalisation Committee in April 2023.
Mosengo-Omba told Infantino that Fecofa’s “full support” would continue beyond 2027. He also referred to Infantino’s mandates being renewed in Paris in 2019 and Kigali in 2023.
The statement highlighted the Democratic Republic of Congo’s continued alignment with Fifa’s leadership while divisions remain pronounced elsewhere in world football.
Nigeria
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has also broadly maintained a supportive position towards Infantino, despite the international criticism directed at the Fifa president.
Nigeria first reached the men’s World Cup finals in 1994. For a federation dealing with persistent financial constraints and major infrastructure requirements, the proposed investment plans would have been difficult to reject.
Amaju Pinnick, a former NFF president and deputy chairman of Fifa’s Men’s National Teams Competitions Committee, said Infantino’s proposal could provide every member association with a significant financial boost without placing excessive reliance on national governments.
Nigeria is eligible to receive up to $8m (£5.95m) through the current Fifa Forward funding cycle, despite failing to qualify for the past two men’s World Cups.
Its most prominent Forward-funded project is the redevelopment of the NFF Technical Centre in Abuja. The project has received approximately $4.88m and includes the reconstruction of training pitches and the construction of modern accommodation for Nigeria’s national teams.
Support and opposition elsewhere
South Africa’s Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, wrote on X that Infantino had been “very good to African football”.
“Africa should be cautious in joining the public lynching of Infantino. He has been very good to African football.
“We can debate his ideas but let’s not forget who has been a friend to us. Many of those calling for his head want the old status quo back too.”
Football officials from Malawi and Uganda also told the BBC that Fifa investment had transformed the game both on and off the pitch. They argued that such funding was essential given the financial constraints facing many African countries.
“Malawi needs money. Malawi needs stadiums, our government cannot manage to give us even $1m every year for football,” Malawi FA president Fleetwood Haiya told the BBC’s Newsday programme.
“Our government is not able to make sure that they have medical supplies in hospitals [and] at the same time to look at football,” he said.
Lamin Kaba Bajo, president of the Gambia Football Federation, told BBC Sport: “As far as I’m concerned, most of my colleagues are concerned, we’ll encourage him [Infantino] to stay, and we’ll do everything within our means to ensure that he is re-elected come next year, 2027.
“That’s my personal opinion as president of the federation, and a good number of African memberships also stand on that line. He is here to stay.”
Support for the FFE proposal was not unanimous, however. Isha Johansen, the former president of the Sierra Leone Football Association and a former Fifa Council member, was among the African figures who opposed it.
She warned that the plan risked over-commercialising football and asked, “What price does one have to pay in order to get to this elevated development for football in Africa?”
Johansen called on African football leaders to consider carefully the future direction of the sport.
Caf president Patrice Motsepe praised Infantino last month for his “excellent work” after this year’s World Cup and described him as “a good friend”.
“He is loyal to Africa,” Motsepe said on 22 July. “When people have been loyal to you, you never stab them in the back.”
Several countries have yet to comment publicly, including Senegal, whose men’s team is the second-highest ranked in Africa behind Morocco.
