The FIFA president is seeking to rally support ahead of the electionsGianni Infantino, president of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), met the presidents of the 54 African federations in Cape Verde on Thursday, affirming that FIFA will continue to invest in the continent.According to the French newspaper “L’Equipe”, Infantino’s speech carried a clearly political flavour, coming months before the FIFA presidential elections and in the wake of his failed project to sell off a share of the revenues from the federation’s tournaments.He addressed the leaders of CAF’s member federations, gathered at an unprecedented symposium dedicated to the future of the game on the continent.Read alsoMessi’s heir presents his credentials in the moment of farewellAfter discontent and criticism: good news for Real Madrid about the Clasico refereeThe Italian-Swiss official said: “As FIFA president, I am proud to have contributed with you to this revolution in African football over the past 10 years.”Infantino ran through the scale of the investment poured in since his election in 2016, explaining that the “FIFA Forward” programme had delivered one billion dollars to Africa over 10 years, through 124 projects and a range of other measures.An attempt to win overWithout naming the project to sell a stake in FIFA’s tournaments, which he abandoned in July, Infantino called for dialogue with the federations that had voiced their reservations.The plan, which concerned the World Cup revenues in particular, met fierce opposition in Europe and North America. It drove several federations on both continents to pull their backing for his candidacy ahead of next year’s elections.Infantino said: “When concerns are raised, we must respond to them. At FIFA we always do that in a spirit of dialogue, with open arms, an open heart and an open mind. We can always do better.”He praised the development of African football, calling the presence of 10 teams from the continent at the last World Cup “a success for all of Africa”. FIFA, he promised, would keep chasing “the resources and the necessary increases in funding” to push African football forward and up to “the summit of world football”.Infantino also urged the African confederation to set out its priorities so it could keep strengthening the continent’s football structures and national teams.The congress handed him a strategic platform. The presidents of the 54 African federations hold more than a quarter of the votes in the FIFA presidential elections.
