The Confederation of African Football (CAF) reaffirmed its unanimous support for Gianni Infantino on Thursday, as the FIFA president faces growing opposition led by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) ahead of the presidential election scheduled for March 2027.
Meeting in Rabat, the CAF executive committee welcomed the apologies offered by Gianni Infantino following the abandonment of the controversial project to open FIFA to private investors. However, the African confederation reiterated that “respect for governance, due process, and transparency” remains “essential and non-negotiable.”
CAF President Patrice Motsepe thanked Gianni Infantino for “his constant support for African football over the years.” Since taking the helm of FIFA in 2016, the global governing body reports having redistributed nearly $1.28 billion to African football through its solidarity mechanisms.
With its 54 affiliated federations, CAF constitutes the second-largest electoral bloc in FIFA, behind UEFA’s 55 members. Its support is therefore a major asset for Gianni Infantino, the only declared candidate at this stage for the March 2027 election.
This stance comes as UEFA maintains its threat to boycott FIFA competitions. Although the contested project has been abandoned, the European body believes that the guarantees requested to prevent any similar initiative in the future have not been obtained and claims to have lost confidence in Gianni Infantino’s presidency.
Other confederations have also expressed reservations about FIFA’s governance. CONCACAF, which brings together federations from North America, Central America, and the Caribbean, is calling for a reform of the organization’s decision-making processes. In Asia, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has called for an urgent review of the governance framework, while showing divergent positions among its member federations.
In South America, CONMEBOL expressed concern over FIFA’s “repeated unilateral actions,” without supporting a potential removal of its president. Several South American leaders, including Argentine Football Association president Claudio Tapia, have reaffirmed their support for Gianni Infantino.
Elected in 2016, Gianni Infantino will need to secure a majority of votes from FIFA’s 211 member federations to win a new term at the elective congress in March 2027.
Captured & Published at: 2026-08-07 14:23:39 (Madagascar Local Time EAT)
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