African football associations have largely remained silent amid growing uncertainty over the future of beleaguered FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who is counting on their support to secure another term in office.
The Confederation of African Football has publicly backed Infantino, putting CAF at odds with three other continental governing bodies that want him to explain his now-abandoned plan to carve off World Cup commercial rights. But CAF’s endorsement does not necessarily mean Africa’s 54 member associations will vote as a bloc.
Infantino, the Swiss-Italian who has built strong support among African football leaders by significantly increasing FIFA funding to the continent during his decade in office, cannot take their votes for granted when he faces re-election March 17 at the FIFA Congress in Morocco.
Africa accounts for a significant share of FIFA’s voting power, making its support crucial to Infantino’s bid. Yet previous endorsements by CAF have often failed to translate into unified support from its member associations, reducing the value of such declarations when voting day arrives.
CAF had an alliance with UEFA when the European governing body’s president, Lennart Johansson, stood for the FIFA presidency in 1998, but African member associations voted overwhelmingly to put his rival, Sepp Blatter, in power.
