Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA, is intensifying efforts to secure the backing of African football administrators as he prepares for the March presidential election.
The push follows his decision to abandon a controversial plan to sell a stake in World Cup revenue, a move that has been met with enthusiasm by several African football leaders.
Five influential federations have publicly voiced their support, including Fouzi Lekjaa of Morocco, Hany Abo Rida of Egypt, Hamidou Djibrilla of Niger and Ahmed Yhaya of Mauritania. Veron Mosengo-Omba, president of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s football federation, also issued a statement praising Infantino’s reversal, while Saïd Ali Athouman of the Comoros and Fleetwood Haiya of Malawi highlighted the urgent need for financial resources.
Financial Dependence on Global Governance
Many African associations operate with limited budgets, relying on baseline FIFA grants of $8 million per federation over four years and additional CAF allocations. Saïd Ali Athouman has underscored the lack of sponsors and infrastructure, while Fleetwood Haiya has pointed to the necessity of funding for stadiums and medical supplies, illustrating the scale of the financial challenges.
The continent’s reliance on external funding is rooted in a history that dates back to Sepp Blatter’s 1998 proposal for development grants, a policy that Infantino later expanded through the FIFA Forward program, dramatically raising the amount of money flowing to member associations.