By Our Reporter
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has reaffirmed its unanimous support for FIFA President Gianni Infantino following the withdrawal of a controversial proposal linked to the commercialisation of the FIFA World Cup.
In a statement released after a meeting of its Executive Committee, CAF acknowledged the apology issued by FIFA President Gianni Infantino and FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafström over procedural shortcomings in the handling of the proposal.
CAF noted that FIFA had admitted mistakes were made during the preparation of the initiative but stressed that there had been no intention to exclude the FIFA Council or its member associations from the decision-making process.
According to the African football governing body, the proposal has now been withdrawn and will undergo a comprehensive review before being presented to the FIFA Council at its next meeting. FIFA also pledged to strengthen its procedures to prevent similar governance issues in the future.
CAF President Patrice Motsepe said the continental body remains committed to the highest standards of governance, transparency and accountability in all its activities, describing those principles as central to its administration.
Motsepe added that CAF would continue working closely with FIFA, national associations and regional federations to advance football development across Africa through greater investment in national teams, clubs, players, coaches, infrastructure and stadium facilities.
He also highlighted ongoing preparations for the forthcoming Africa Cup of Nations to be jointly hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, noting that progress had been made in securing sponsorships and commercial partnerships to support CAF’s long-term development agenda.
Reaffirming its confidence in Infantino’s leadership, CAF praised his contribution to the growth of African football. The Executive Committee also commended the successful staging of the 2026 FIFA World Cup and applauded the high organisational and technical standards of the ongoing Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.