Africa’s football body backs Infantino as Europe holds firm on World Cup boycott threat

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) unanimously reconfirmed its support for FIFA president Gianni Infantino on Thursday, deepening a split in world football over his now-abandoned plan to sell stakes in FIFA competitions, including the World Cup, to private investors. On the same day, UEFA said it remains committed to boycotting future World Cups at all levels unless Infantino leaves office, while England’s FA formally withdrew its backing of him.

What was the plan that triggered the crisis?

Infantino had proposed creating a subsidiary called the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) to sell commercial rights tied to FIFA’s tournaments, including the men’s and women’s World Cups, to private investors. As part of the pitch, he reportedly offered all member associations $40 million each if they backed the proposal. National federations, particularly in Europe, said they were sidelined from the process and denounced it as an opaque, back-room deal. The backlash became, in BBC’s description, the fiercest revolt of Infantino’s presidency since he took office in 2016.

How did FIFA respond, and was that enough?

Facing the revolt, Infantino convened FIFA’s management board in Rabat, Morocco, on Wednesday and, alongside secretary general Mattias Grafstrom, issued a “Joint Update” acknowledging “mistakes” in how the FFE plan was handled and apologizing that member associations were made to feel excluded. The proposal itself was withdrawn. UEFA said that wasn’t sufficient: its statement declared that Infantino’s defense “changes nothing,” reiterating that it has lost confidence in his presidency and that its conditions — full withdrawal of the sell-off plan plus guarantees such a move would never be attempted again — had not been met. Grafstrom himself had earlier called the FFE episode “a sad and reproachable series of events” in an internal staff memo, though he and Infantino later appeared side by side, smiling, at a Women’s Africa Cup of Nations match in Malawi vs. Zambia.

Who is actually backing Infantino now?

CAF’s Executive Committee, representing 54 of FIFA’s 211 member associations, gave unanimous support and thanked Infantino for his backing of African football. CAF president Patrice Motsepe endorsed the Joint Update but stressed the need for “good governance, due process, and transparency.” Days before the scandal broke, Motsepe had called Infantino “a loyal friend” and said he would not “stab him in the back.” Five of Africa’s seven FIFA Council members — from Egypt, Morocco, Niger, Mauritania and Comoros — publicly pledged support, along with Veron Mosengo-Omba, the newly elected head of the DR Congo federation and a former CAF general secretary. Morocco’s federation president Fouzi Lekjaa called Infantino’s decision to withdraw the FFE plan “wise.” Beyond Africa, South America’s CONMEBOL also backed Infantino on Thursday, as did the football associations of Mexico and Argentina — the 2026 World Cup co-host and the reigning World Cup runners-up. FIFA itself issued a statement fully backing its president on Wednesday.

Why is Africa’s support tied to money?

BBC reporting ties African backing largely to FIFA Forward, a funding program Infantino launched in 2016 that many African federations depend on for infrastructure, youth development, coaching and women’s football projects, in a continent where government and commercial investment in the sport is limited. Morocco in particular has become a key FIFA partner: Rabat hosts FIFA’s Africa regional office, has held FIFA Club World Cup and women’s U17 World Cup events, and will co-host the 2030 men’s World Cup with Spain and Portugal. Egypt, home to CAF’s headquarters, remains a strong institutional ally partly through the influence of FIFA Council member Hany Abo Rida, a longtime Infantino associate.

What happens next?

The confederations are now split roughly along regional lines: UEFA and England’s FA are pressing for change and holding open the threat of a boycott of World Cup competitions at all levels, while CAF, CONMEBOL, and federations in Mexico and Argentina have lined up behind Infantino. Infantino is seeking re-election as FIFA president in March next year, and this alignment of votes — CAF’s 54 associations alone are a substantial bloc within FIFA’s 211 members — will likely shape whether he faces serious opposition. No resolution to the boycott threat had been reached as of Thursday’s statements, and UEFA’s language suggests the dispute is not close to settled.

Sources

• Al Jazeera
• BBC World — Does Africa still back Infantino as Fifa president? · Uefa says boycott may still go ahead as FA withdraws Infantino support
• France24 — FIFA closes ranks round Infantino amid mounting leadership crisis · #UEFA maintains #WorldCup boycott despite #FIFA apology

Featured photo: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)