Infantino secures backing of all 54 African federations for FIFA re-election

Gianni Infantino's campaign to remain at the helm of FIFA has received a decisive boost this week. All 54 national federations that make up the Confederation of African Football (CAF) have announced their unanimous and unconditional support for the Swiss-Italian's candidacy as he seeks re-election at the congress scheduled for March. The endorsement comes after the executive promised a new phase of investment for African football.

• All 54 CAF member associations have closed ranks behind Infantino with unanimous and unconditional support.
• The FIFA president highlighted a decade of major investment in African football during his address.
• CAF president Patrice Motsepe linked the endorsement to Infantino's track record of backing the continent.
• The announcement coincides with former Switzerland defender Ramon Vega entering the race as a potential challenger.
• Aleksander Ceferin confirmed he will seek re-election at UEFA, removing another high-profile candidate from the FIFA contest.

Unanimous African backing for Infantino's candidacy

The move was staged in Cape Verde, where Infantino met with the top officials of African football's national associations at a strategy conference that allowed the FIFA president to address more than a quarter of the 211 voting delegates. The message on the ground was clear: Africa is lining up without cracks behind the current occupant of the Zurich headquarters.

Patrice Motsepe, who presides over CAF, was the one to put the commitment into words before the delegates in attendance. The unanimity of the 54 associations was sealed in a statement through which African football rewards the relationship Infantino has cultivated with the region since his first electoral victory in 2016.

"There is a unanimous decision by the 54 CAF member associations to unconditionally support Gianni as president of FIFA. This is because of the history and the support that Gianni has given to African football," Motsepe said.

One billion dollars in ten years: Infantino's pitch to Africa

During his address, Infantino put figures on the table to explain why he believes Africa should continue to trust his project. The executive pointed out that, through the FIFA Forward programme, the organisation has channelled one billion dollars to the continent over the past decade, spread across 124 different projects and numerous additional initiatives.

The FIFA president said he was particularly proud to have contributed to what he described as a revolution in African football over the last ten years. In that vein, he noted that having ten African teams at the last World Cup represented a success for the entire continent and argued that funding will remain a priority as long as he stays in charge.

The shelved tournament equity plan and the European backlash

The African endorsement carries particular weight given the context in which it arrives. Earlier this year, Infantino was forced to set aside a controversial plan to sell a financial stake in FIFA tournaments. The proposal sparked significant opposition, mainly from European and North American federations, leading many of them to withdraw their endorsement ahead of the March vote.

Without explicitly acknowledging that abandoned project, Infantino championed dialogue as the tool to manage differences. In his message to African leaders, he called for concerns that arise along the way to be addressed with a constructive spirit, with open arms and an open mind, convinced that FIFA can always do better.

Ramon Vega emerges as a challenger while Ceferin steps aside

The electoral landscape is taking shape as Infantino collects endorsements. News emerged on Wednesday that former Switzerland defender Ramon Vega intends to stand as an alternative candidate in next year's election. His entry adds a new name to a contest that, for now, has failed to attract other heavyweights from the institutional scene.

In fact, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin confirmed on Thursday that he will seek re-election as head of the European governing body. That decision effectively removes one of the most prominent hypothetical contenders from the FIFA race and strengthens Infantino's position ahead of the March congress.

A promise of further investment for the next term

Before the African representatives, Infantino went beyond reviewing past achievements and committed to keeping the growth trend going. The Swiss-Italian said FIFA will continue to look for resources and funding increases to boost African football to the very top of the world stage.

His closing message called for a shared roadmap: CAF itself should set the priorities and define what it needs to grow stronger. It is a formula with which Infantino hopes to cement the African bloc as one of the pillars of his project at the helm of FIFA.

Frequently asked questions about Infantino's re-election and African support